The Sister for Sister Conference, sponsored by 100 Black Women, Inc., Metropolitan Nashville Chapter, an advocacy group addressing issues of relevance to Black women and girls, will be held Saturday, March 22, at the Downtown Hilton Hotel. Connie Lindsey and Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice are set to head up the conference.
It begins at 8 am with registration and ends at 2:30 pm. There will be three Life-Enhancing workshop sessions, wellness opportunities, retail booths and the Women of Color luncheon, announcing the Davis-Galloway Award recipient.
Connie Lindsey, will conduct a free session on professional development prior to the opening of the conference at Belmont University. Reservations are required. Lindsey, a highly sought-after speaker, serves as executive vice president and head of corporate social responsibility and global diversity and inclusion at Northern Trust, Chicago. In her role, Lindsey oversees the design and implementation of the corporate social responsibility and diversity and inclusion strategies for Northern Trust.
Additionally, she serves as national board president of the Girl Scouts of the USA, the highest-ranking volunteer of this 3.4 million-member organization. She provides guidance in three vital areas-policy, fundraising and leadership. Lindsey is an integral part of the Girl Scouts transformation, committed to building and sustaining membership growth and ensuring girls receive premier leadership development experiences. She is a delegate for Vision 2020, a national project focused on advancing gender equality by energizing the dialogue about women and leadership.
Dr. Valerie Montgomery Rice, incoming president at the Morehouse School of Medicine in Atlanta, will be the keynote speaker at the Women of Color Luncheon, where the recipient of the prestigious Davis-Galloway Award will be presented.
Dr. Montgomery Rice has distinguished herself as a leader and an expert in women’s health throughout this nation, without question, she has made history. The natural born leader has been appointed the new president of Morehouse School of Medicine—the nation’s first African American woman to lead a free-standing medical school, effective July.
Rice’s selection is a remarkable accomplishment. Many women laud this appointment because of the under-representation of Black women in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. This position makes a bold statement in reality beyond rhetoric.
The Macon, Georgia, native and Harvard-educated obstetrician and gynecologist has an outstanding resume and career. Among her many triumphs is her founding of Meharry’s Center for Women’s Health Research in Nashville. The Center has been credited as one of the nation’s first research facilities devoted exclusively to studying diseases that disproportionately impact women of color.
Rice says that despite her success, she still has more to accomplish.
She is on a mission to keep MSM relevant, while staying true to its original ideals to diversity the workforce and work towards the elimination of health disparities.
Veronica Marable Johnson, president of the Nashville Metropolitan Chapter said: “We are honored to have these distinguished professionals to be a part of our 2014 conference. They are leaders, and caring women who continue to blaze new paths for us all.
The Davis-Galloway Empowerment Award will be presented at the luncheon in addition to Dr. Rice’s talk. This prestigious award, presented annually, was established to recognize the leadership, advocacy and community service contributions of African American women. The award named its first honorees in March 2004 and was presented to its namesakes the late Ivanetta Hughes Davis and Lettie S. Galloway, two outstanding charter members of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc., Metropolitan Nashville Chapter as well as the Nashville community.
“The contributions of Black women are evident throughout Nashville and the world. The 2014 nominees are true representatives of the award namesakes as well as having established an outstanding body of work in their careers,” said Johnson.
For information about the annual Sister-for-Sister Conference and the Women of Color Luncheon, visit the website at , or call Lethia Mann at 615- 838-9976.
