Women Stepping UP will focus on Moving Forward for an online panel discussion at noon on Thursday, November 18, to continue our celebration of the 100th anniversary (plus one) of the ratification of the 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. In addition to celebrating the past we look to the future and say, “It’s Your Turn.”
Our annual Women’s Equality Day Centennial (Plus One) celebration luncheon in August was postponed due to rising COVID numbers. Our guest speaker, Astronaut Mae Jemison, has agreed to reschedule her appearance but a date for that appearance has not been set.
The online series, It’s Our Turn: Stepping Up Together, will continue with the panel discussion Moving Forward from noon to 1 p.m. Thursday, November 18. It will be free and broadcast live on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/steppinguptoequality. A recording will be available after the event.
November 18’s panel, Moving Forward, will feature USI Vice President of Student Affairs Dr. Khalilah Doss, Executive Director of Lampion Center Dr. Lynn Kyle, ordained minister and director of the Center for Congregations, the Rev. Wendy McCormick and Stacy J. Stevens, broker and owner of Landmark Realty.
Shelley Kirk, WEHT/WTVW anchor, will moderate.
This panel session, in collaboration with YWCA Evansville, is designed to assess the stress, toll and economic impact that the year and a half of the pandemic has taken on our community and the world. How do we move forward, not just to where we were pre-pandemic, but better? What can we do as individuals, as friends, as families, as businesses and as our organization to facilitate hope, respect and healing while we build bridges back to a whole community which can move forward together?
Our panelists:
Dr. Khalilah Doss
Dr. Khalilah Doss is the Vice President for Student Affairs for the University of Southern Indiana. She says “I am a firm believer that if I work hard enough, things will eventually work out; however, there will be roadblocks. My persistence is what will help me navigate these roadblocks. This past year has reaffirmed that persistence will always yield successful results.”
At USI she oversees the USI Counseling Center; Dean of Students Office; Housing and Residence Life; Multicultural Center; Recreation, Fitness and Wellness Center; Religious Life; Student Development Programs; Student Publications; and the University Health Center.
Doss joined USI in 2019 after serving as the vice president of student life for McPherson College in McPherson, Kansas and positions at Lincoln University, the University of Missouri-St. Louis, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, and McKendree University. Her research on the experience of domestic and international African American student-athletes has been published in Diversity in Higher Education and Education Review.
Doss earned a bachelor’s degree in economics, finance and marketing from McKendree College, a master’s degree in public administration from Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and a doctoral degree in educational administration and higher education from Southern Illinois University Carbondale.
Lynn Kyle
Lynn Kyle is the Executive Director of Lampion Center which is a non-profit counseling agency that empowers children, adults and families to move beyond life’s challenges, traumas and transitions to thrive and reach their full potential. Her passion and her work include both the micro level of care, and the macro level of community / systemic change.
Kyle received both her Bachelors and Masters degrees in Clinical Psychology from the University of Evansville. She has led and inspired the work of Lampion Center for over 25 years and is well known for establishing and promoting collaborative efforts to meet community needs. Her expertise is in mental health care for community, non-profit management and integration of neuroscience informed practices.
The Rev. Wendy McCormick
Wendy McCormick is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA and served as a pastor for 20 years, including 11 years at First Presbyterian Church in Evansville and nine years in Ohio. Since 2008 she has served the Center for Congregations, a statewide organization that offers consulting, education and grants to Indiana congregations. Currently she oversees the Center’s four satellite regions, leads the Center’s Engaging Young Adults initiative, and facilitates the Center’s Program Team. McCormick is a graduate of Carleton College in Minnesota and Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
She and her husband, the Rev. Kevin Fleming, have three daughters.
Stacy J. Stevens
Stevens describes herself as a positive person who wants to share the love and the joy that life offers to everyone she meets. “Even my blood type is B Positive.”
Stevens is a broker and the owner of Landmark Realty. She previously worked as Director of Real Estate, Brill Media Company and Mortgage Loan Officer, Citizen’s/Fifth Third Bank. She is president of the Vanderburgh County Area Plan Commission and has served on the boards of the Evansville Country Club, United Methodist Church Indiana Conference, Evansville Area Association of Realtors, Beacon Group, Big Brothers Big Sisters among others.
Stevens graduated from Purdue University and Evansville Day School
Moderator will be Shelley Kirk, who is an Eyewitness News anchor for WEHT/WTVW.
Moving Forward is the final panel discussion for 2021.
Recordings of previous panel discussions are available on the Facebook Stepping Up page (https://www.facebook.com/steppinguptoequality). They include:
Engineering Opportunities in Science and Math, featuring Electrical Engineer and consultant Amy Barrett, Sherry Shen, Operations Excellence Manager for Kaiser Aluminum Warrick, structural engineer Theresa Davies and Talitha Washington, mathematics professor and the inaugural director of the Atlanta University Center Consortium (AUCC) Data Science Initiative.
Owning the Workplace, featuring Dentist Marjorie M. Cabell, Jo Ferrell, Co-owner of Home Envy and Tresa Miller, owner of Grateful Threads.
SuperMom Tools, featuring Karese Johnson, Community Impact Officer at United Way of Southwestern Indiana, Aleisha Sheridan, CEO of 4C of Southern Indiana, DeVon Simon, assistant principal of Glenwood Leadership Academy and Sloane Standley, Marketing Strategist for Midwest Communications.
Keeping Your Plates Spinning, featuring Dr. Anne Butsch, a family physician who focuses on integrative medicine, Kristi Cirignano, a functional wellness coach, and Helen Shymanski, wellness coordinator and yoga instructor.
Moderator for each discussion has been Shelley Kirk, who is an Eyewitness News anchor for WEHT/WTVW.
A new date has not yet been set for Women’s Equality Day, featuring Astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison. The luncheon was postponed due to COVID. Dr. Jemison is an engineer and physician who became the first African American woman to be admitted into NASA’s astronaut training program and travel in space. Dr. Jemison served as a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Endeavour and orbited the earth for almost eight days in 1992. Jemison is now focused on encouraging young people to consider careers in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) subjects to help solve the challenges of the future. Sponsorships are available now and a limited supply of tickets will be available soon. Follow the links at SteppingUpEvv.com. Tickets and sponsorships purchased for the 2021 luncheon will be honored when the luncheon is rescheduled
The Women’s Equality Day luncheon celebrates the ratification of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote, while acknowledging much more is needed for women to achieve equality in pay, representation and voice.
In addition to the luncheon, Stepping Up works to help women step up through training and giving women a chance to preserve and record their stories in a video project. The organization makes HerStory, an enactment of the history of women in the region and is available for presentation in schools and organization meetings.