Osupa 31 May 2012 Lifestyle, MXO Business Report, Special Events No Comment

Woman of Color Foundation

By Gina Hobbs

Posted May 31st 2012

(PHOTO: GINA HUFFMAN, MPA ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY ‘S MCNAIR SCHOLARS PROGRAM)

Retreat to feature Cleveland Clinic Women’s Health Forum with Susan B. Komen Center, Career Session with Gina Huffman, MPA, Assistant Director of Cleveland State University’s McNair Scholars Program, Personal Development workshop with Life Coach, Erin O’Donnell.

Cleveland, Ohio – 2012 not only marks the 10^th Anniversary of The Women of Color Foundation but it also marks the 10^th year of the Foundation’s annual Personal and Professional Development Retreat for Women of Color in Cleveland.  The two-day Retreat, which has been around since the Foundation’s inception in 2002, will take place 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Thursday, May 31 and Friday, June 1, 2012 at Cleveland Clinic’s Lyndhurst Campus at 1900 Richmond Road in Lyndhurst, Ohio.  Highlights of the event will include a Cleveland Clinic Women’s Health Forum with the Susan B. Komen Center, a Career Session with Gina Huffman, MPA, Assistant Director of Cleveland State University’s McNair Scholars Program, and a session on how to “Claim Your Authentic Self…” with Life Coach, Erin O’Donnell, Owner of STEP BEYOND.  Over 300 women are expected to attend the Retreat.

The Retreat is a unique concept and forum designed to facilitate the collaboration, networking, mentoring, sharing, and training of women and girls.  The goal is to leave women with a greater sense of empowerment, and therefore, participants are encouraged to actively participate in workshops discussing topics relating to health, career, personal development, finance, professional development and more.  A number of workshops with moderators and panelists consisting of high-profile, professional women will take place on both Thursday and Friday.  Thursday’s sessions will include:  “CONNECTIONS!”; “Are You Comfortable In Your Own Skin?”; A luncheon session featuring Lee Jordan, News Anchor at WEWS-TV NewsChannel 5, as Mistress of Ceremonies.  The discussion,  entitled “COMMUNITY” will feature an Executive Women’s Panel; “Claim Your Authentic Self and Turn Anxiety & Self Doubt Into Certainty & Confidence in the Workplace!” featuring Erin O’Donnell, Life Coach and Owner, STEP BEYOND; Subsequent sessions include “Making Diversity Work for You!”; and “Return to Learn: Re-educating Yourself for Advancement in Life and Career!” Friday’s session will begin with Cleveland Clinic’s Women’s Health Forum – “Addressing Women’s Health Issues”, which will feature a discussion on Breast Cancer in women of color, with representatives from the Susan B. Komen Center.  That session will be followed by a Luncheon and Executive Women’s Panel on “CAREER!”, during which Sarah Buduson, Investigative Reporter, WEWS, NewsChannel 5 will serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies; The final sessions will include ”Women in Banking………A Shift in the Financial Services Industry Landscape!”; and “Putting your Career Vision and Goals on a Timeline and Staying the Course!” presented by Gina Huffman, MPA, Assistant Director, McNair Scholars Program, Cleveland State University.

Other participants will include:  Pamela Marshall Holmes, Senior Director, Community Development & Wellness, Cleveland Clinic;  Charmaine Brown, Director, Diversity & Inclusion, Forest City Enterprises; Dr. Charleyse S. Pratt, Director, Learning Communities, Cleveland State University; Terry D. Bishop, Philanthropy Manager, Dominion East Ohio; Renita Jefferson, Director, Leadership Development, Human Resources, American Greetings Corporation;  Louise J. Gissendaner, Vice President, Community Affairs, Outreach and Strategic Initiatives, Fifth Third Bancorp; Stephanie W. Turner, Vice President, Community Development Banking, KeyBank; Teneshia Buchanan, Personal Banker, Huntington Bank; and more.

 The Retreat will be followed by the Women of Color Foundation’s inaugural Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Awards Gala on Saturday, June 2, 2012, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. at Cleveland Clinic’s Lyndhurst Campus.

“We are so excited to celebrate, not only our 10th anniversary, but also our 10^th year doing our Retreats,” says Alexandria Johnson Boone, Founder and Chairwoman of The Women of Color Foundation.  “I am so proud that the Foundation has reached such an important milestone.  We’ve had the unique honor of touching the lives of over 5,000 women from all over the Ohio Region, including judges, Presidents, CEOs, attorneys, entrepreneurs, professors, political officials, medical professionals and more.  The opportunity for all of us to share our journeys, successes, triumphs and failures over the past ten years, has been invaluable.   The networking opportunities, jobs, careers, businesses and friendships that have arisen out of our events, are countless.  I’ve heard so many stories about how women have connected with someone at our events, and how that connection has resulted in a life-changing experience.  That’s the true power of the Women of Color Foundation,” she said.

 The Women of Color Foundation’s 10^th Anniversary celebration sponsors include: Cleveland Clinic, American Greetings Corporation, and WEWS-TV NewsChannel 5, with the support of Forest City, Dominion East Ohio, Fifth Third Bank, KeyBank, Prudential, Medical Mutual of Ohio, Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, University of Akron, E.F. Boyd & Son, Inc., and Huntington; and media sponsors, The Cleveland Women’s Journal, Max’n Out Entertainment, Call & Post Newspapers, The Women’s Book, Kaleidoscope Magazine and African American Lifestyle Magazine.                                                                                                                                         

A variety of registration and sponsorship packages are available for the Cleveland Personal and Professional Development Retreat and Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Awards Gala, as well as other 10^th Anniversary Women of Color Foundation events.  For information on registration, including available scholarships, please contact 216-391-4300, ext. 307 or visit the website, www.womenofcolorfoundation.com.