Dr. Jane E. Smith was 30,000 feet in the air aboard a Delta Airlines flight when the idea hit her to incorporate the concept of “reset” into this year’s theme for the Seventh Annual Spelman College Leadership and Women of Color Conference, May 11-12, 2011.
Smith, the executive director of the leadership training center LEADS at Spelman College, told a crowd of more than 300 women at the Legacy of Leadership Awards Dinner at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis how she conceived the idea for the academic institution’s 2011 conference, “Reset: Sustaining Women for 21st Century Leadership.” The conference offered “best practices to help women reset to attain greater health, career success and overall well-being.”
“We think everyone of you already know that Spelman College is, by far, one of the finest learning institutions in our nation. Spelman seeks to empower the total person and help them appreciate many cultures of the world and commits to positive social change,” said Scarlet Pressley-Brown, general manager of Global Diversity and Community Affairs at Delta Airlines. “Spelman today is our answer for resetting and sustaining. As the official airline, Delta is proud to be its sponsor. We have been [LEADS’] partner the entire seven years. We have been responsible for bringing very special guests to the conference every year. We salute Spelman and are honored to be at this event because we value diversity.”
Pressley-Brown was accompanied on stage by fellow sponsors Kimberly B. Davis, president of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation and Telisa Yancy, director of advertising, brand and media at American Family Insurance. Both Davis and Yancy offered warm greetings.
CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O’Brien served as the keynote speaker. She enlightened attendees with her perspective on the meaning of resetting. “Resetting means what is doesn’t have to be. Resetting means that change is possible. [Through philanthropy] and by thinking differently … you can change the paradigm and reset somebody’s life or your own very easily. I think very differently about who I am and what I can achieve by the very small number of young women I have been able to give a tiny shove to. Education is the beginning of a reset.”
The evening closed with an awards presentation to the women who have served as leaders in our armed forces, including our first and only black female Brigadier General Velma Richardson.
The conference continues with a full day of activities on Thursday, May 12, 2011, starting with panelists Sonia Alleyne, Black Enterprise magazine; Josefina Bonilla, Color Magazine; Andrea Riggs, national fitness expert; Laurie Robinson, Corporate Counsel Women of Color; and Nancy Lewis, Progressive Techniques Inc., who will share lessons on building the sustainable woman. Spelman College’s own Brenda Dalton will serve as the moderator.
The conference will close with a motivational speech by Olympian Bonnie St. John. –yvette caslin
