Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Creating Community at UW–Madison

UW-affiliated women featured prominently in 2022 Women’s Leadership Summit

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Madison365’s upcoming Women’s Leadership Summit will feature many prominent women leaders with ties to UW–Madison.

The 2022 summit will feature a series of online talks each weekday starting at noon from June 20 through July 1 which Madison365 will stream live on Facebook. Panels of expert women leaders from across the state will discuss topics including food justice, health care, education, gun violence, the experiences of women of color in corporate leadership, and the impact of women business owners in Wisconsin.

Now in its second year, the free Women’s Leadership Summit is a premier leadership opportunity by and for women of color in Wisconsin and the Midwest hosted by Madison365, a nonprofit community news organization by and about Wisconsin’s communities of color.

Meet some of the UW-affiliated women who will be taking part in the lunchtime talk series below. Tap on the event titles to sign up to watch the event on Madison365’s Facebook livestream.

Week of June 20

  • Lilada Gee (’88) will join with Abha Thakker, Kimberly Lonetree, and Opal Tomashevska for a panel discussion titled “Celebrating the Intersections of Women of Color & the Arts” on Monday, June 20.
  • Stephanie Díaz de León, diversity, equity, and inclusion coordinator for leadership & engagement in Student Affairs; and Shiva Bidar-Sielaff, vice president for diversity, equity, and inclusion for UW Health and associate dean for diversity and equity transformation for the School of Medicine and Public Health; will join with Ana Hooker, Letesha Nelson, and Marilyn Ruffin for a panel discussion titled “Having Voice & Agency: Women of Color in the C-Suite” on Tuesday, June 21.
  • Award-winning journalist Kynala Phillips (’19) will moderate a panel discussion with Hedi Rudd (’12), Shadayra Kilfoy-Flores, Arvina Martin, and Alexzandra Shade titled “Food Justice: From Sovereignty to Security in Wisconsin” on Wednesday, June 22.
  • Yvette Craig, publisher of UMOJA magazine and communications & marketing manager with UW’s All of Us Research Program, will moderate a panel featuring Fabiola Hamdan (MSSW ’98); Mai J. Lo Lee, Ed.D.; and Annie Weatherby-Flowers titled “Crisis in Care: The Impact on Women & Families” on Thursday, June 23.
  • Samantha Skenandore, J.D. (’01), of counsel at the firm Quarles & Brady and former associate justice in the Supreme Court of the Ho-Chunk Nation, will join a panel featuring Griselda Aldrete, Blanca de Leon, and Diana Perez titled “Politics, Gun Violence & Mental Health: Where Do We Go From Here?” on Friday, June 24.

Week of June 27

  • Brandi Grayson (’12), chief executive officer of Urban Triage and longtime activist, will moderate a panel discussion featuring Annette Miller (’92), chief executive officer at EQT By Design; Angela Jenkins; Sequanna Taylor; and Mai Xiong titled “After the Protest: Policy Change Through Social Movements” on Monday, June 27.
  • Leslie Petty, Ed.D., former assistant dean at the Wisconsin School of Business and recipient of UW–Madison’s Outstanding Women of Color Award, will join a panel featuring Sabrina Robins, Ph.D., Laura Piña, and Poyee Xiong titled “Upskilling & Expanding the Workforce: How Our Educational Systems are Transforming the Next Generation for the Future of Work” on Tuesday, June 28.
  • Nepherterra Estrada Best will moderate a panel featuring Nancy Hernandez, Maysee Her, Ph.D., and Adonica Randall titled “Mentor Chair: Meet 4 CEOs of Color” on Wednesday, June 29.
  • Gia Gallimore, director of diverse alumni engagement at the Wisconsin Foundation and Alumni Association, will moderate a panel discussion featuring Kayla Conklin (’18), talent management officer at Park Bank – Madison; Nasra Wehelie (’93), president and chief executive officer at Empathy 4 Equity and former member of the Morgridge Center for Public Service’s advisory board executive team; Christina Outlay, Ph.D.; and Damira Grady, Ph.D., titled “Purposeful Inclusion in Our Workplace” on Thursday, June 30.
  • Deborah Biddle, Marie Justice, Marjorie Rucker, and Ayobami Sanni will be featuring in a panel discussion titled “Filling The Void: Women Business Owners’ Impact in Our State” on Friday, July 1.