SUNY Delhi president to speak at EmpowHER program

Sep. 29—The acting SUNY Delhi president will be the keynote speaker during the EmpowHER program on Nov. 2.

Mary Bonderoff was invited to speak at the half-day conference, hosted by the Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, because she has had a successful higher education career, chamber President Ray Pucci said.

He said that while it's common to see women in elementary and secondary education, it's unusual to see them in higher education. Pucci said Bonderoff will talk about the strategy she has used throughout her career.

In addition to hearing from Bonderoff, attendees will participate in interactive workshops presented by Mitzi Sackett, professional of organizational psychology, and Amy Warner, executive director of the O'Connor Foundation. During lunch, there will be table-top discussions with John Mancuso, owner and founder of Authentic Communication Matters.

Sackett will speak about language that people use that diminishes their ideas and work in the office. "We are calling it 'I might be wrong but...,'" Pucci said. "Everyone has said something like this at a session or a meeting which demeans our power and thoughts."

Warner will talk about building self confidence within an organizational structure. Mancuso will wrap up what was learned and talk through the next steps people can make at their workplace.

"My goal at the end of the day is that people will leave with specific strategies to take back to their jobs," Pucci said. "We want to give women specific steps they can take to build their self confidence." The chamber will also use the workshop to gain information about what areas it needs to focus on for area employers, whether that's a mentoring program or to continue offering workshops to local employees. This is the second workshop geared toward women in the workforce. Last year, the chamber offered a course about balancing work and life.

While the workshop is geared toward women, men are encouraged to take the course too, Pucci said. "There is no male bashing during the workshop," he said. "Anyone will benefit from the ideas we're talking about."

The program will be held at Catskills Junction on Railroad Avenue in Stamford, starting with registration and networking at 9:30 am., the release said. Pucci said the chamber chose the location because it is a woman-owned business, owned by Donna Kennedy. The fee to participate is $35 and includes all program materials, mid-morning snacks and lunch, which will be provided by TP's Café, another woman-owned business.

Registration and program information is available under the Events and Programs tab at www.DelawareCounty.org.

Vicky Klukkert, staff writer, can be reached at vklukkert@thedailystar.com or 607-441-7221.