WO/MEN'S LEADERSHIP FORUM
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2009-2010 Schedule |
| Registration Sign In and Coffee - Hagerty Lounge Welcome
Afternoon Sessions: Session B. Changing the World with a Tabla Drum Following Your Inner Compass Panel Closing Program: Building Bridges |
Wo/Men’s Leadership Forum Facilitator Biographies
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Tammy Appling-Cabading, Coordinator for the Department of Leadership Studies, Saint Mary’s College of California Tammy is a two-time Saint Mary’s grad. In her main line of work she is responsible for managing admissions and marketing for the Leadership Studies Program at Saint Mary’s. She also serves as an adjunct faculty member in the masters program, a Campus of Difference Facilitator, and is currently completing her Values Coaching Accreditation program. Prior to working at SMC, Tammy advocated for older adults and owned a residential board and care facility. In her spare time, she is actively involved with the Hike for Shelter group where she is brings awareness to the growing homeless crisis in Contra Costa County and raising funds for Shelter Inc., while hiking the beautiful trails in the Bay Area. A wife and mother of two boys she enjoys spending time with her family exploring different cultural events and a variety of musical and outdoor activities. Living simple yet living out loud is her motto. |
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Ken Chew, Mayor of Moraga Ken Chew was elected the Mayor of Moraga, California in December of 2009. He has a degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Wisconsin. He is the manager of the Project Management and Control Unit in the California Department of Transportation in Oakland. In November 2006, he was elected to the Moraga Town Council. During this time of service, he was a council representative to Saint Mary’s College, the Contra Costa County Mayors’ Conference, the Moraga Country Club Negotiating Team, the Emergency Preparedness Committee, and the League of California Cities. He is originally from Malaysia and currently resides in Moraga with his wife and two sons. |
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Eduardo Lopes, University of Evora in Portugal Eduardo Lopes studied drums and percussion at the Rotterdam Conservatorium in the Netherlands and earned his doctorate in Music Theory from the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom. Lopes is an active performer and studio musician. As an academic, he focuses on issues of music theory, rhythm, and meter and is most interested in exploring the universal qualities of rhythm, known as the 'Just-in-Time' theory. He is currently a Senior Lecturer in the University of Evora in Portugal's Music department. With the endorsement of Yamaha, Lopes travels the world to share his research and the universal qualities of rhythm with audiences of all backgrounds. |
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Kate Mulder, Citizen Philanthropist Manager After living in five states, two countries and spending her extra time traveling the world, Kate’s story is always the same. She thrives on meeting new people, hearing their stories, and being inspired by their accomplishments. She is thrilled to work every day with the powerhouses of Citizen Effect – their Citizen Philanthropists. Her love for people served her professionally, when she spent seven successful years in the pharmaceutical industry. As cliché as it sounds, a trip to Africa then changed her life. Since then she has devoted herself to using her skills to support industries that make a difference in the socio-economic status of developing countries. Through this she learned what it means to be comfortable being uncomfortable. She learned what works and what doesn't, and that without risk there is no opportunity for growth. It is an honor for her to serve Citizen Philanthropists every day. She is enthused to unite this excitement for building a sustainable future into something tangible, and to improve lives at home and around the globe. |
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Cynthia Peterson, Rape Crisis Prevention Center Cynthia D. Peterson has been a leader and an activist in the Women’s Movement and has worked in the field of Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence for over 20 years. She has developed training programs for Rape Crisis Advocates and presented workshops and trainings to law enforcement, health care workers, church groups, community organizations, and schools. She has made national presentations that address the oppression of women of color. Currently she is the Director of Crisis Intervention Services and Anti-Human Trafficking Project for the Rape Crisis Centers of Marin and Contra Costa Counties. She works directly with survivors of sexual violence, administers crisis intervention programs, and supervises direct service staff. She was formerly the Executive Director at CSU Chico’s Women’s Center. Representing the Women of Color Caucus-North, Cynthia served as board member to the California Coalition against Sexual Assault. In 2003 she was the recipient of the National Council of Negro Women Inc. Community Service Award. |
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Scott Schönfeldt-Aultman, Associate Professor of Communication, Saint Mary’s College of California Scott Schönfeldt-Aultman is an associate professor at Saint Mary’s College of California and is currently the chair of the Communication department. He has taught classes such as Hip Hop Politics, Qualitative Methods, Communication & Social Understanding, Communication Inquiry, Intercultural Communication, Rhetorical Criticism, and Masculinities in the Women’s Studies Department. He also helps organize the Hip Hop and Social Justice series on campus. |
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Sharon Sobotta, Director of the Women’s Resource Center, Saint Mary’s College of California Sharon K. Sobotta is the director of the Women's Resource Center at Saint Mary's College of California, a freelance journalist, a world traveler, and a dancer. Inspired by her humble background as the product of a working class family in Wisconsin, Sharon truly believes that every individual has a teachable story. She started traveling the world when she was 17 years old, after receiving a scholarship from Kikkoman soysauce that enabled her to go to Japan. When she travels, she lives among the locals, volunteers, studies and most importantly interviews and writes about the local population of her respective destination. In The Journey of Life: 100 Lessons from Around the World, Sharon shares some of the most profound pieces from her interviews. In her role as the director of the WRC, she strives to inspire students to envision the world in a gender-inclusive, non-xenophobic manner. |
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Robin Sukhadia, Creative Director at Project Ahimsa Robin Sukhadia has a master in fine arts from the California Institute of the Arts and is currently Creative Director at Project Ahimsa. He has expertise on and interest in world music, including the tabla drums from south Asian. Project Ahimsa describes his work on their website: “For the past 5 years, Robin has travelled internationally on behalf of Project Ahimsa, an organization committed to empowering impoverished youth through music education. In addition, Robin works closely with the organization to produce tours and concerts featuring children impacted by the organization's work as well as headlining acts such as Maestro Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, Nitin Sawhney, Bobby Friction, Black Eyed Peas, Lal Singh Bhatti, and more. In 2005, Robin arranged and produced a concert in partnership with Carnegie Hall's Global Encounters series to bring world class North Indian classical musicans to high school students across all NYC buroughs. Robin's writings on music education and the creative process have appeared in Hyphen Magazine, India Currents, the Subcontinental, and Saathee Magazine.” |
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Denise Witzig, Women’s Studies Professor Denise Witzig is a Women’s Studies Professor at Saint Mary’s College of California. She is currently the Coordinator of the Women’s Studies Program. Denise earned both a Doctorate and Master’s degree in English from Brown University. She teaches The Politics of Fashion, English 5 (Argument and Research), Feminist Theories, Introduction to Women’s Studies, and Women’s Studies Capstone. Denise was awarded the Dean Thomas Brown Faculty Excellence Award in 2004 and was the recipient of the Women's Resource Center Faculty Excellence Award in 2001. |
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Maura Wolf, Leadership Coach and Consultant For the past 20 years Maura has been involved in founding and strengthening organizations through coaching and leadership training. She is author of two books, ‘Light One Candle: Quotes for Hope and Action’ and ‘Exploring Realities: Stories of Young Women Making Decisions and Finding Meaning’. She is a Kripalu trained yoga instructor, a graduate of the MA in Leadership at Saint Mary’s College and a mother of two. Currently, she is teaching in the Leadership Studies department at Saint Mary’s and is a coach with In-balance Coaching (www.in-balancecoaching.com). |
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Women’s Interfaith Circle of Service These three women are from Women’s Interfaith Circle of Service. From left to right are Tomiko Nojima, Kristina Seher, and Pat Fleischman. They will be carrying out the Bridges of Peace Ceremony. Kristina Seher (center) will lead the ceremony. Kristina is Head of School at The Principled Academy in San Leandro, where the parents come from 28 different nations. Dedicated to comprehensive character education and community service, The Principled Academy demonstrates that academic distinction is based on moral excellence and a warm, supportive, extended "school family" of parents, students, and teachers. She is also a founding member of Women's Interfaith Circle of Service and the InterRacial Sisterhood Project, who use the Bridge of Peace Ceremony in bridging racial and religious divides. Her twin passions-- working with kids and working with women--are based on her firm belief that spiritually healthy families are the foundation of a peaceful global family. |
