ATHENA Speaks Series
ATHENA Speaks is a women's empowerment guest speaker series presented in partnership with the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership. Women are changing the landscape in many organizations and their needs can be met through women leaders sharing and collaborating. ATHENA International has a clear vision--to achieve balance in the voices of leadership worldwide and communities like Erie by developing, supporting, and honoring women leaders. ATHENA Erie and the Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership have come together to collaborate on reaching the community of women and men who are ready to support and sustain these important changes. ATHENA Speaks is intended to develop, support, and honor women leaders; lifting up the current and future generations of women leaders by amplifying their voices.
ATHENA Speaks: On Board Balance - Wednesday, July 10, 2019
Tina Donikowski (L), Christy Uffelman, Linda Stevenson (ATHENA Erie Chair), Khadija Horton, Tim NeCastro, Amanda Kochirka (Erie Regional Chamber Program Director)
Research shows that it is hard to find qualified women for board membership, so how do you know when you are ready to serve? How is the path different for a seat on non-profit board vs. a for-profit, or even for a public board? What skills, experiences and network do you need to achieve a seat at the table? This program offered answers to these questions and more.
The keynote presentation was given by Christy Uffelman, board member of NACD NXT’s Future of Board Leadership initiative in Pittsburgh and President of Align Leadership. Read Christy's bio.
Christy shared a Road Map around three specific areas to prepare women for board service:
Excellence - It’s about what you do - Excellence is your ability to deliver quality business results and understand and implement the core technical and strategic elements that drive successful operations.
Experience - It’s about how you do it - Experience is building your skill set by taking on challenges and seeking opportunities for growth and continuous learning. You want to show a reach beyond yourself by leading with accountability and developing your team.
Exposure - It’s about who sees your Excellence and Experience – Exposure is building and sustaining a strategic network both internally (within your company & industry) and externally (regional, national, global).
Panelists Included:
Tina Donikowski, Retired Vice President of Global Locomotive Operations, GE Transportation
Board Service: Atlas Copco AB, CIRCOR, International Advanced Energy, TopBuild, Eriez Magnetics, Gannon University Board of Trustees, Erie Boys & Girls Club
Khadija Horton, Esq., Assistant Public Defender
Board Service: Erie County Convention Center Authority, Erie County Bar Association
Timothy NeCastro, President and CEO, Erie Insurance
Board Service: American Property Casualty Insurance Association, Insurance Information Institute, Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership, UPMC Hamot, Gannon University Board of Trustees, Erie Downtown Development Corporation
The keynote presentation was given by Christy Uffelman, board member of NACD NXT’s Future of Board Leadership initiative in Pittsburgh and President of Align Leadership. Read Christy's bio.
Christy shared a Road Map around three specific areas to prepare women for board service:
Excellence - It’s about what you do - Excellence is your ability to deliver quality business results and understand and implement the core technical and strategic elements that drive successful operations.
Experience - It’s about how you do it - Experience is building your skill set by taking on challenges and seeking opportunities for growth and continuous learning. You want to show a reach beyond yourself by leading with accountability and developing your team.
Exposure - It’s about who sees your Excellence and Experience – Exposure is building and sustaining a strategic network both internally (within your company & industry) and externally (regional, national, global).
Panelists Included:
Tina Donikowski, Retired Vice President of Global Locomotive Operations, GE Transportation
Board Service: Atlas Copco AB, CIRCOR, International Advanced Energy, TopBuild, Eriez Magnetics, Gannon University Board of Trustees, Erie Boys & Girls Club
Khadija Horton, Esq., Assistant Public Defender
Board Service: Erie County Convention Center Authority, Erie County Bar Association
Timothy NeCastro, President and CEO, Erie Insurance
Board Service: American Property Casualty Insurance Association, Insurance Information Institute, Erie Regional Chamber & Growth Partnership, UPMC Hamot, Gannon University Board of Trustees, Erie Downtown Development Corporation
ATHENA Speaks: On Law - Thursday, February 14, 2019
In follow up to the very successful screening of On the Basis of Sex with fellow ATHENA supporters, attendees of the first event in the ATHENA Speaks series heard from District Judge Susan Paradise Baxter and a panel of local female attorneys. Judge Baxter discussed the second wave of feminism in the context of the law.
Read Judge Baxter's bio here: https://www.pawd.uscourts.gov/content/susan-paradise-baxter-district-judge
Panelists included:
Andrea Amicangelo, Esq. - Amicangelo & Theisen
Meredith Bollheimer, JD - Mercyhurst University
Colleen Stumpf, Esq. - Quinn Law Firm
Read Judge Baxter's bio here: https://www.pawd.uscourts.gov/content/susan-paradise-baxter-district-judge
Panelists included:
Andrea Amicangelo, Esq. - Amicangelo & Theisen
Meredith Bollheimer, JD - Mercyhurst University
Colleen Stumpf, Esq. - Quinn Law Firm