As part of the Saint Mary's College 150th anniversary "Gaelebration", the School of Economics and Business Administration (SEBA) presents its Executive Speaker Series in partnership with Women in Philanthropy on the topic of: 

               Women Executives in the 21st Century: Challenges and Opportunities

Women in the workforce fill more than 50% of all managerial and professional positions. Women in management face many different challenges. From juggling work/home balance, to encountering glass ceilings and invisible salary caps, to facing stereotypes and assumptions, women executives must hurdle through many obstacles to climb the corporate ladder.

• How do they overcome these obstacles?
• How do they succeed in the corporate world?
• What challenges and opportunities lie ahead for women executives and leaders in the 21st Century? 

Join us at this dynamic panel discussion to hear the perspectives of top women executives from global organizations tell their stories and share their lessons learned.

Date: 
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Time:
6:00 - 6:30 PM - Registration
6:30 - 7:30 PM - Panel Discussion and Q&A
7:30 - 8:00 PM - Networking Reception
Location:
Hagerty Lounge, Saint Mary's College of California, 1928 St. Mary's Road, Moraga, CA 94556
Cost:
Free for Current Students | $20 for Alumni | $30 for Friends of SMC

DISTINGUISHED PANELISTS:

Erin Flynn, Senior Vice President, Talent Development at Salesforce.com (Note: Stepping in for original panelist, Monika Fahlbusch, salesforce.com)

As Senior Vice President of Talent Development at salesforce.com, Erin Flynn oversees all talent strategies and programs—including leadership and career development, succession planning, talent management, and employee engagement and communications—for a rapidly growing, global workforce. In the eight years she’s been with salesforce.com, Erin had led Recruiting, Total Rewards and Employee Success. She has also led the effort to make salesforce.com one of the world’s most social, mobile and open corporate cultures. As a result, salesforce.com was ranked among Fortune magazine’s “100 Best Companies to Work For” in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Before joining salesforce.com in 2004 as Vice President of Recruiting, Erin was Director of Executive and Corporate Recruiting at PeopleSoft. Prior to that, she led recruiting efforts for the Silicon Valley arm of Idealab. Earlier in her career, Erin worked as an executive search consultant. Erin received a B.A. in Literature from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst. She is an active volunteer through the salesforce.com Foundation as well as with organizations like the Foster Youth Alliance and California Youth Connection.

Kris Snow, Executive MBA '90, President, Cisco Capital, Cisco Systems, Inc.
Kris Snow is President of Cisco Capital, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cisco Systems, where she leads the company’s global captive finance business, delivering premier solutions in Technology Financing, Channel Financing, and Cisco Certified Pre-Owned Equipment. Managing over $8 Billion in assets with a presence in 96 countries, Snow balances sales enablement for Cisco with overall lease and loan portfolio risk to drive profitability for Cisco Capital.

Snow joined Cisco from CIT Group, Inc. in 2009. As President of Global Vendor Finance at CIT, she led operations in over 30 countries throughout North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and Latin America. Prior to CIT, Snow spent over 17 years at Sun Microsystems, Inc. in roles of increasing responsibilities, most recently as the General Manager and Senior Vice President for Sun’s captive finance arm, Sun Microsystems Global Financial Services.

Snow holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Gonzaga University and a Master of Business Administration from Saint Mary’s College of California.

Sarah Friar, Chief Financial Officer, Square
Sarah Friar recently became the CFO at Square, a company that produces credit card readers that plug into a phone or IPad, giving users ability to accept credit cards anywhere. Square, founded in 2009, currently processes over $6 billion payments annually and has around 300 employees. Before Square, Friar was the Senior Vice President of Finance & Strategy at Salesforce.com. Prior to joining Salesforce.com she worked at Goldman Sachs in corporate finance, M&A, and equity research, as well as at McKinsey & Company in London and South Africa. Friar holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oxford and a master’s from Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

MODERATOR:

Bethami Dobkin, Ph.D., Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, Saint Mary's College of California
Bethami Dobkin, Ph.D., is the Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs of Saint Mary's College of California. She oversees the operational management of the College, with specific responsibility for academic affairs, enrollment, and student affairs.

In her academic leadership role, Dr. Dobkin coordinates student learning inside and outside of the classroom. She serves as an advocate for faculty, particularly in their pursuit of high-quality teaching and distinctive scholarship. In collaboration with faculty members, she articulates the College’s academic vision consistent with its strategic plan.

Dr. Dobkin has a distinguished history in higher education as a faculty member and an academic leader. Previously, she served as Associate Provost of the University of San Diego and was a faculty member in the Department of Communication Studies for 17 years. Dr. Dobkin has achieved national recognition for her research and teaching in the area of media and conflict. Her honors have included a fellowship in executive leadership with the American Council on Education.

Dr. Dobkin earned her doctorate in Rhetoric and Social Order and a master’s degree in Rhetoric from the University of Massachusetts, and received a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from Humboldt State University.