2016 Conference

The 16th annual Women's Leadership Conference focused on the theme of "Building Healthy Lives" and featured females speakers from all walks of life. Brigidier General Tammy Smith, of the U.S. Army Reserve, was the keynote speaker. The morning address was followed by four break-out sessions: "Financial Wellness" by Barbara Krumsiek, Senior Industry Fellow at Georgetown University's Women's Leadership Institute; "Nutrition" by Christina Wang, Regional Wellness Director at Sodexo Business & Industry; "Holding Space: Cultivating Your Physical Presence" by Ashley Thorndike-Youssef, Executive Director of Now Next Dance/Now Next Body; and "Online Health: Protecting Your Online Presence" by Jelena Roljevic, Assistant Vice President for Business Intelligence in the Division of Information Technology at GW.

The afternoon address featured a presentation by Paula Anderson (MA '99), President/CEO & Clinical Counselor of PACE Consulting, titled "Mindfulness: Making It Part of Your Daily Life." This address was followed by a panel discussion on work/life balance, moderated by Jonelle Henry, International Producer at C-SPAN. The panel included one Mount Vernon College alumna and two George Washington University alumnae: Jessica Spraggins El Aboudi (MVC '98), a health communicator in chronic disease prevention at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Jess Carson (GW '13), National Director at NextGen Venture Partners; and Laura Taddeuccci Downs (BA '92, MA '95), Chair of the GW Council of Chairs. The panel was rounded out by the conference's keynote speaker, Brigidier General Tammy Smith.