Via: My Sweet Charity
By: Jeanne Prejean
Texas Women’s Foundation Leadership Forum and Awards Dinner Co-Chairs Laura Maxwell and Nina Vaca have just announced plans for the fundraiser presented by AT&T will take place at the Omni Dallas Hotel on Thursday, April 30.
The keynote speaker will be “Tech Boss Lady” author Adriana Gascoigne, who is founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Girls in Tech. With 43 chapters in 32 countries, the nonprofit is “devoted to empowering, educating and engaging women in the tech industry.”
Last year Adriana not only was “named one of the 20 most influential Latinos in technology by CNET, she also received the Pioneer Leadership Award at the Silicon Valley Latino Leadership Summit.”
Another highlight of the evening will be the presentation of the 41st Maura Women Helping Women Award to five outstanding women, in addition to the Young Leader Award to an exceptional woman under the age of 40.
This year’s Maura Awardees will be
- Dana Blankenship – Dana Blankenship is the dynamic CEO and founder of Blankenship Change Consulting, LLC, a female-centric, 75-person strong boutique firm that helps some of the world’s most well-known brands navigate the people side of change as they grow and evolve their organizations. After being in leadership at a large firm, Dana started this more family-centered firm that reflects her passion for building relationships and for nurturing a flexible, supportive environment where women, in particular, can thrive.
- Tracey Doi – As Chief Financial Officer for TOYOTA Motor North America, Tracey Doi leads accounting, finance, and corporate strategy for the Toyota and Lexus brands, a value chain with 14 manufacturing plants and 47,000 team members. As part of the executive management team she focuses on driving initiatives for competitive growth. Doi is passionate about the development of leaders at all levels, particularly women and other underrepresented groups. She enjoys supporting the Toyota Business Partnering Groups’ many career development and community initiatives, as well as the Orchid Giving Circle at Texas Women’s Foundation.
- Beverly Hill – Before founding the Gendercide Awareness Project (Gendap) in 2011, Beverly Hill worked as a college lecturer and then as a studio artist, creating figurative bronzes and ceramic wall hangings. While still teaching at the University of Iowa, Hill developed a strong interest in global women’s rights and was astonished to learn that in many parts of the world, women and girls are so oppressed that they simply do not survive. Their premature deaths create a measurable dent in the global female population – with 3.7% of it missing. Gendap now raises funds to educate impoverished girls in six developing countries – girls who otherwise could not go to school.
- Kathleen LaValle – Kathleen LaValle became president and CEO of Dallas CASA in 2014 following three decades of practicing law. Today she leads the largest CASA program in the country in terms of total children served by volunteers, number of volunteer advocates and annual revenue, with 83 percent of the volunteers being women. In 2018, Dallas CASA and its 1,420 volunteer advocates served 3,330 children in foster care. While a partner with Jackson Walker LLP, LaValle headed the women’s initiative, served on the firm-wide diversity committee, and explored solutions to workplace challenges that women faced. She mentored and coached many young women attorneys, and the firm promoted more women to partners than any other Texas law firm.
- Jennifer Stimpson – With a global vision to create change beyond her native Dallas, educator, innovator and entrepreneur Jennifer Stimpson is passionate about educating the next generation of science leaders. She began her career as a forensic chemist with the Drug Enforcement Agency, and now teaches middle school science at The Hockaday School. An award-winning educator for two decades, Stimpson uses field experiences to enrich the curriculum, bringing global, real world science to life for her students and others. Through her JSTEMP/KIC (Knowledge is Chemistry) camps, she creates exciting STEM learning hands-on science experiences for students of all ages, particularly under-resourced youth.
Receiving the Young Leader Award will be Karla Garcia, Dallas ISD board trustee and secretary, the youngest person and first Latina elected. She was inspired to run for Dallas ISD District 4 trustee because she wanted to address the inequities that she saw in the public school system, particularly in Southeast Dallas. After her family moved to Dallas, her parents’ strong desire to see her obtain a college education led Garcia to attend Dallas ISD’s Irma Lerma Rangel Young Women’s Leadership School, a Young Women’s Preparatory Network School, and the first public all-girls magnet school in Texas. She was the first in her family to attend college, and studied public policy and entrepreneurship at UNC.
According to Texas Women’s Foundation President/CEO Roslyn Dawson Thompson, “We are honored to celebrate these amazing women – each one exceptional in her own right – whose remarkable journeys and significant accomplishments are an inspiration to us all. We are also excited to hear from Adriana Gascoigne, who very much lives up to her book title ‘Tech Boss Lady,’ and who is a total game-changer through her global work to empower girls and women in the technology industry.”
In a time when technology is the place to be when it comes to careers, this event should hit the mark with Adriana at the podium. Check with Ashley Lindsay at 214.525.5311 for sponsorship opportunities and tickets.