Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Stories of Successful Women Professionals

Shattering the Glass Ceiling: Stories of Successful Women Professionals

7 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on November 12 in the Union East Ballroom, University of Wyoming campus

Sponsored by

AAFCS Student Group

University of Wyoming

Want to learn more about career and leadership development from accomplished women professionals telling their stories about opportunities and challenges they have had to overcome, mentoring, their varying career paths relevant to women from a variety of majors?  Brief presentations will be followed by discussion and refreshments.

For details, contact Natalie Ferguson, President, nferguso@uwyo.edu; Katlyn Thomas, Vice President, kthoma17@uwyo.edu; Dr. Virginia Vincenti, advisor, 307-766-4079, vincenti@uwyo.edu,   

Tahira K. Hira
Professor and Executive Assistant to the President, Iowa State University
Tahira is a professor of personal finance and consumer economics at ISU, playing an active role in undergraduate and graduate teaching and research. She earned a B.A. and M.A. in economics from Punjab University in Lahore, Pakistan in 1963 and 1966 respectively and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics and a Ph.D. in Family Economics & Financial Management  from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1973 and 1976. Since 1976 she has taught and conducted research in the United States, Japan, United Kingdom, Canada, and New Zealand.  She served as associate vice provost for ISU Extension ('98-'02). She is nationally and internationally known for her research in consumer bankruptcy, consumer credit, social and psychological aspects of borrowing behavior of middle- and high-income Americans, gambling and consumer credit, and borrowing behavior of college students.  She has published more than 100 articles and book chapters. She created ISU's Financial Counseling Clinic, used to conduct research and professional practice experience for both graduate and undergraduate students.  She is a recipient of the Research Excellence Award of the Japan Society of Household Economics, University of Missouri Distinguished Alumni Award, ISU Regents' Faculty Excellence Award, Alumni Faculty Citation, and Wilton Park International Achievement Award, and the Fulbright-Hays Scholarship, and is a founding president and fellow of the Association of Financial Counseling and Planning Education. She has also served as president and vice-president of finance and properties for the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. She currently serves on the U.S. President's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy.

Penny A. Ralston

Professor, Dean Emeritus, and Director Center of Better Health and Life for Underserved Populations, Florida State University

Penny earned her B.S. in home economics education and social sciences from Ball State University in ‘71 and a M.Ed. ('75) and Ph.D. ('78) in home economics education from the University of Illinois.  She has been on the faculty and had administrative responsibilities at both Iowa State University and the University of Massachusetts before becoming dean of the College of Human Sciences at Florida State University in 1992.  There, Penny led efforts to increase minority involvement in the human sciences.  She spearheaded a three-year $250,000 USDA grant, in partnership with three historically black institutions, to expose minority students to research and graduate school opportunities at Florida State. During her fourteen-year tenure, Dean Ralston helped set the stage for the growth of the college with innovative research and academic programs. Ralston's most recent research has focused on health promotion and nutrition for minority elders. Her interests in community-based organizations for older adults have focused on the development, growth and utilization of senior centers. In addition, she has studied black participation in home economics from a historical perspective.  She is a fellow of the Gerontological Society of American and Gerontology Association in Higher Education, America and is a past president and Distinguished Service Award recipient of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.  Ball State University selected her for its '98 Distinguished Alumni Award and ‘93 Outstanding Black Alumni Award. She was also received the National Role Model Award, Minority Access, Inc., in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Sciences.

Ann Collins Chadwick

Former positions included: USDA Acting Assistant Secretary for Food and Consumer Services, USDA Director of the Consumer Advisor, Director of Consumer Affairs for Hormel and Company, and Executive Director of The American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences, now retired.

Ann earned a B.S. in home economics education (‘73) Summa Cum Laude and an M.S. in nutrition and food sciences (‘76), both from Mississippi State University.  From '75-‘80 she was a home economist/nutritionist for Bryan Foods, Inc. in MS where she developed an  objective sensory evaluation system, implemented it using taste panels, advised marketing, quality control, taught R & D directors about consumer product acceptance, conducted market research and prepared products for TV commercials. From '80-'83 she worked for George A. Hormel and Company, MN and VA, first by establishing a consumer affairs department and being its first director and later as a consumer affairs consultant.  In her first position she identified and monitored consumer concerns, attitudes, and trends; interpreted implications to management and advised how it could respond appropriately; assisted in establishing policies on consumer issues; expressed company views and policies to consumers, special interest groups, regulatory agencies, and the media; answered inquiries about products, nutrition, food safety, and health issues; and resolved consumer complaints.  In her second position she wrote a policy manual for responding to consumer complaints and A Manual for Successful Resolution of Consumer Complaints in the Food Industry for the Food Processors Institute, which became an industry standard.  Next, Ann served as USDA Director of the Office of the Consumer Advisor in DC ('83-‘89), which involved work with the media; responding to consumer complaints; educating government officials about emerging issues relevant to consumers, farmers, the food industry and USDA; organizing conferences; working with other USDA agencies, the FDA, and the EPA.  Twice (‘89 & ‘92-‘93) she served as USDA Acting Assistant Secretary for Food and Consumer Services which administers 13 major food assistance programs and has a budget of billions.  Before retirement, she served the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences ('93-'01) as public policy advisor, director of public policy, director of public policy and professional development, and executive director.

Last Updated on 11/3/2009 10:25:51 AM