Professional News

UK Women's Forum Blasts 'Back to the Future' With Eighth Annual Conference

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Oct. 1, 2014) – The University of Kentucky Women's Forum is jumping "Back to the Future" with their 2014 conference featuring UK Provost Christine Riordan as the keynote speaker. This year the conference will discuss female leaders from the past, present and future and will occur Wednesday, Oct. 15, at the Student Center Grand Ballroom beginning with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. and ending with giveaways at 3 p.m.

The Women's Forum Annual Conference is free and open to all UK faculty and staff. "The conference is an opportunity for the Women’s Forum to inform the audience of our mission and to encourage general membership," said Debra Ross, the UK Women's Forum conference co-chair.

Riordan will present the conference's keynote address at 9 a.m.  As UK provost, she oversees all of the academic operations of the University of Kentucky including more than 30,000 students. Riordan is responsible for supporting and advancing academic programs, teaching and scholarship and has a leadership role in the development and implementation of UK's strategic plan. She also is involved in the implementation of a new financial budget system, expansion of the Living and Learning Program, refinement of the academic brand and enrollment growth. Riordan has been featured in and written articles for publications such as The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Forbes, USA Today, MSNBC, CNN, CNBC and Wall Street Journal.

All topics to be covered at the event will focus on being successful both professionally and personally. The topics to be covered include: inclusive excellence, personal safety, emotional intelligence, setting realistic expectations, superwoman syndrome, women in history and speed networking.

"It is a personal and professional development opportunity offered on campus at no charge to encourage, inform and celebrate women at UK," Ross said. "They can take this knowledge and networking opportunity to grow in their roles at UK."

The UK Women's Forum was created in 1991 and is an organization for all faculty and staff members of the university. Its mission is to exert a leadership role in empowering, validating, informing, including and celebrating all women employed through the University of Kentucky by addressing the challenges, communicating issues and recognizing successes within the context of the workplace.

For additional information about the Women's Forum or the conference, visit their Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/UKWomensForum or website http://www.uky.edu/womensforum. If you have any questions, contact Debra Ross at debra.ross@uky.edu or 859-218-3381.  Click here to register for the event.