141 Women Attend Fall Conference
This year’s fall conference was filled with discussion, excitement and opportunities for Griffith Leadership Society members to grow as women, students and professionals. The conference kicked off on the evening of Friday, Sept. 26 as mentors and mentees met and got to know each other.
Melissa Stevens, a Mizzou alum and image consultant, spoke at Friday’s networking dinner, advising collegians and alums on the dos and don’ts of creating a positive image as professional women. After dinner, Griffith’s members changed into comfy clothes for an evening of relaxation and socializing. Highlights from the Ladies Night included a massage station, wine and coffee bar, and a fully loaded chocolate fountain. For most of the evening, the chocolate fountain - equipped with homemade marshmallows - proved to be a central meeting point for Griffith’s women.
Saturday morning began with a literature discussion led by Dr. Trudy Lewis about her experience writing short stories, including her collection The Bones of Garbo, which was the spring 2008 book club selection. Breakout sessions Saturday morning divided collegians and alumnae, allowing each group to attend presentations relevant to their specific experiences. Motivational speaker Andrew McCrea hosted sessions for both groups that focused on members discovering their personal leadership skills and qualities. McCrea also presented at lunch on Saturday where he gave an insightful speech on the qualities found in good leaders.
Following a day filled with conversation and education, Griffith’s members carpooled to Mizzou Arena for a fascinating and entertaining presentation by Vicki Pinkel, wife of head football coach Gary Pinkel. Pinkel spoke about her life as the First Lady of Mizzou football and gave members a crash course in the basics of the game. The afternoon wound down with a tour of Mizzou Arena and a tailgate reception that featured finger foods and Tiger Stripe ice cream made on campus. Truman the Tiger was on hand to take pictures with mentors and their mentees.
Both alums and collegians spent the weekend learning from each other as well as from presentations. New collegian member Adrienne Pederson, BJ ‘10, felt the conference provided an opportunity for her to create new bonds with collegians and alumni.
“Spending a weekend with the women of Griffith’s motivated me to start thinking about my future even more,” Pederson said. “I’m grateful because I have a group of supportive women I can call at anytime.”
Griffith’s members left the conference enthused and motivated.
“There is just nothing better than the energy of 100 women gathered together...smart, bright, enthusiastic,” alum Diane Campbell O’Byrne said. “It was the best!”
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Miss the conference? Click on the links below to download and view the presentations from conference.
AmeriCorps Presentation by Jaimie Pfeifer
Go Red Presentation by Marcia Beckett
Peace Corps Presentation by Molly Burress
Saturday Keynote Presentation by Andrew McCrea
Saturday Workshop Presentation by Andrew McCrea
Teach for America Presentation