Information on VS June 2021 coming soon.

2019 Recap

Keynote Speaker: Karen Walrond

Courage, Values & Inclusion: The Birthplace of Innovation

 
Karen Walrond is an attorney, author, leadership coach and sought-after keynote speaker on topics such as self-empowerment, creativity and innovation. Because of Karen's diverse legal, corporate and creative background, she focuses on topics as wide-ranging as leadership, diversity, self-image, creativity, social media and human resource issues.  She's also a certified Dare to Lead™ facilitator, trained in Brené Brown's work on vulnerability, courage, empathy and worthiness.  Her keynotes and workshops include these concepts, specifically addressing how vulnerability – the ability to show up in the midst of uncertainty, risk and emotional exposure – is the strongest measure of the courage we have, courage which can help foster innovation and creativity.
 
Friday night, Karen spoke about the importance of recognizing everyone’s contributions and creating an inclusive experience – in our collegiate chapters, alumnae chapters, communities, workplaces and all the other spaces we occupy. As volunteers and engaged alumnae of our organization, we are empowered to make sure every voice is heard. Karen’s keynote empowered and encouraged volunteers to have the courage to be vulnerable, live our values and include others. When we possess the courage to live our values and create inclusive spaces for all voices, we help develop a birthplace for innovation.
 
“Vulnerability feels like weakness to us, but looks like courage to others” – Karen Walrond
 

Keynote Speaker: Eliz Greene

Work Life Balance

 
Surviving a heart attack at age 35 while seven months pregnant with twins propelled Eliz Greene on a mission to share her story to inspire other busy people to pay attention to their health. Recognizing stress as an essential and often under-addressed risk factor, Eliz conducted a research study on job stress. Eliz is an author and writes a top health and wellness blog. She was named as a top online influencer on stress and heart health, and she has been seen on CNN, PBS, Lifetime, TNT, and many national and local news programs. A national spokesperson and advocate for the American Heart Association, Eliz received the Heart Hero Award in 2010. More recently, she has partnered on the Take Cholesterol to Heart campaign. Today, Eliz is a healthy 52-year-old living in Milwaukee, Wisconsin with her wonderful husband, Clay, and their beautiful (now 17-year-old) daughters.
 
Eliz Greene was the Saturday keynote speaker. She spoke about the importance of understanding the stressors in our lives and how stress affects our bodies. She engaged the audience to discuss ways they re-energize (do you like activity to play and exercise as a form of re-energizing or do you need time to yourself, relaxing, doing nothing?). She encouraged volunteers to get up and move when they start to feel stress – movement helps reduce the negative effects of stress on our bodies!
 
“Saying NO to something means saying an emphatic YES to something more important” – Eliz Greene
 

Strategic Planning and Headquarters Updates: National President Angela Costley Harris and CEO Katie Lampinen Gaffin

Angela and Katie provided an engaging overview of our strategic plan progress and general headquarters updates. We are currently in our last year of the current five-year strategic plan. For more information, visit our website page dedicated to our strategic plan. Members can view more specifics about our priorities and accomplishments after logging in.