Kansas Wesleyan to host Women in Leadership conference

When Michelle Case relocated from Wichita to Salina, she quickly noticed something significant about the community. Many local leaders, throughout several industries, are accomplished women.

Upon her arrival, she attended a lot of community events to get to know some of them better. And while the events were positive, she always wondered why there wasn't one specifically geared toward celebrating and lifting up women in leadership roles.

For the second year now, the Women in Leadership conference will look to do just that. Case had a hand in planning and executing the new Kansas Wesleyan University event that provides an opportunity for all women to network with female community leaders.

"We want to acknowledge how many amazing women leaders we have," said Case, the department chair of business and accounting at Kansas Wesleyan. "This is a matter of shining a light on all the amazing things that are happening in this community... another avenue to lift each other up."

What to expect at this year's conference

Kansas Wesleyan's Hauptli Student Activity Center and Mabee Arena will serve as the host location for this year's conference on March 30. The new location is part of an upscaling of the event from last year, Case said, as interest in the conference has seemed to grow.

Women in Leadership conference schedule of events

4:30 to 5:15 p.m. — Appetizers and networking

5:20 to 6:20 p.m. — 7x7x7 Speaker series

6:30 to 7 p.m. — Keynote Speaker

As a part of Women's History Month, the event will include an overall theme of "your voice matters."

To kick things off, those in attendance will have the chance to meet and network with other professionals. At this time, appetizers will be served and organizations on campus will have booths set up in the student activity center. The Kansas Wesleyan quartet will be playing music during this portion of the evening.

Around 5:20, the event's emcee Luci Larson, a local business owner and known community leader, will introduce the day's speakers. This year's speakers are part of a 7x7x7 panel: seven speakers talking for seven minutes about seven different topics.

Speakers in the 7x7x7 series include:

Renee Duxler, Interim President/CEO of Salina Area Chamber of Commerce

Karen Couch, Executive Driector of Salina Emergency Aid/Food Bank

Lindsey White, Recuiter at SFC Global Supply Chain, Inc.

Donna Pearson McClish, Founder and CEO of Common Ground

Hon. Angela Coble '94, Judge, Kansas Court of Appeals

Dr. Alysia Starkey, CEO and Dean at Kansas State University Salina Aerospace and Technology Campus

Vickee Spicer, Executive Director of Prairieland Market

Kansas Wesleyan students Madyson Beckett and Alexis Utz will also speak about their experiences in leadership. The two have been successful in Kansas Wesleyan's DECA program. Beckett and Utz received first place in the Business Ethics/Event Planning categories this spring.

Finally, at about 6:30 p.m., Mollie Hale Carter, Executive Chair of Sunflower Bank, will give a keynote address.

The conference is free for all who wish to attend, but in the spirit of helping women in the community, organizers encourage a donation of feminine hygiene products or general hygiene products. These will be donated to the Salina Area Emergency Aid.

In order to reserve a seat for the 2023 Women in Leadership conference, people can visit www.kwu.edu/about/events/women-in-leadership-2023/. The deadline to register is March 24.

Women in Leadership to foster networking, inspire future leaders

Case said last year's event brought in around 120 attendees, and was an indication that people in the community are vying for opportunities to celebrate and lift up women leaders.

"It certainly drove home how hungry people in the community are for networking events," Case said.

In preparation for the event, Case and her team reached out to local high schools and colleges and invited students to attend the event. While it will be about celebrating successes, the conference is aimed at encouraging future leaders all the same.

"We really want this to be an ongoing event where younger girls in community see women in leadership positions and see that it's possible for them as well," Case said.

Kendrick Calfee has been a reporter with the Salina Journal since 2022, primarily covering county government and education. You can reach him at kcalfee@gannett.com or on Twitter @calfee_kc.

This article originally appeared on Salina Journal: Women in Leadership conference to showcase, connect Salina leaders