Women We Admire
October 20, 2009 •
If you’re walking by room 5320 in the Franklin building this Thursday, don’t be surprised by the number of staff spilling out into the hallway. And if you’re one of the few people who get a seat in the room, consider yourself lucky.
The third “Women We Admire” lunchtime talk will take place Thursday at noon, with Judy Sakaki, Vice President for Student Affairs, discussing her lifelong dedication to California’s public universities.
The wildly popular Women We Admire series gives UC women a venue for discussing their careers, workplace challenges and work-life balance. The President’s Advisory Committee on the Status of Women (PACSW) sponsors the series.
Why is the event such a big draw? Risk manager Cheryl Lloyd, the chair of PACWS thinks it’s because people at UCOP are hungry for connections and want to learn how to navigate the system.
“Not many people take the time to stop a colleague in the hall and ask them how they became successful at UCOP,” Lloyd said. “This series is an opportunity for both women and men to learn the answer to that question without really asking it.”
The first Women We Admire event was held in May where Dr. Mary Croughan, 2008-2009 Academic Senate Chair, gave a down-to-earth talk on her successful journey at UC. Dr. Croughan, who has four children and is a physician and a researcher, shared that the hallmark of her career has been to question everything.
At the July event, Debora Obley, Associate VP-Budget Operations at UCOP shared her top ten career tips, titled How to Succeed at UCOP without Really Crying. She discussed everything from not sweating the small stuff and sticking to your values to embracing character building experiences and taking time to cut your hair off every now and then.
Besides hosting Women We Admire, PACSW – which was formed in 2008 – is involved in a number of initiatives within UCOP to help women with professional development. The group examines issues, policies and procedures affecting women, and recommends changes to the President that will help improve opportunities for women.
The PACSW website is rich with resources for both women and men, with information on elder care, parenting, work-life balance and more.
“We’ve had many men attend our Women We Admire events, and they’ll find that resources on our website can help them, too,” says Stella Ngai, Director, Public Record and Information in Business Operations and PACSW Vice Chair. “PACSW’s resources and initiatives benefit both men and women at UCOP.”
To learn more about Thursday’s Women We Admire event and featured speaker VP Judy Sakaki, visit the UCOP event calendar. And if you want a seat at the event, be sure to get there early.
