Graduate School of Education and Psychology Hosts "Women in Leadership" Conference
Pepperdine Magazine is the feature magazine for Pepperdine University and its growing community of alumni, students, faculty, staff, and friends.
The third annual Women in Leadership: Work-Life Balance conference at the Graduate
School of Education and Psychology took place March 19 to 20 and engaged scholars
and business professionals in conversation about opportunities for women to live meaningful
lives of purpose and leadership.
“Through the Women in Leadership conference and other programs and practices, GSEP
creates opportunities for women to be inspired and empowered to be the best expression
of themselves and to bring positive change to the world,” says Graduate School of
Education and Psychology dean Helen Easterling Williams.
Each plenary and breakout session focused on mentoring and sponsorship. Kathy E. Kram,
the R. C. Shipley Professor in Management at Boston University, provided the keynote
address that focused on the role of mentorship and developmental networks in enabling
womens’ success at work and in life. Kathleen McChesney, former executive assistant
director at the FBI and management consultant at Kinsale Management Consulting, discussed
leadership lessons she learned during her time serving in the bureau’s third highest
position. In her plenary address, Susan Dumond, vice president of talent and organizational
effectiveness at Disney ABC Television Group, concentrated on mentorship and how employees
and their organizations can benefit from opportunities.
The Women in Leadership: Work-Life Balance initiative, led by Dean Emeritus Margaret
J. Weber, aims to explore the work-life balance issues of women from global perspectives.