Community leaders held the Strong Women Strong Girls (SWSG) leadership event on Sunday to benefit the Prairies Edge Girl Scouts and their leadership development programs.
On Sunday afternoon, Oklahoma State University’s Spears School of Business hosted a group of engaging women who have excelled in leadership at OSU and in the community. The women answered questions and held interesting discussions for an hour in the presence of more than 50 guests.
One of the panelists, Anne Greenwood, philanthropist, spoke about the struggles women face in today’s society.
“But the reality is that mindset has to happen and mindset has to change, which is not saying what women should be, but what women can be,” Greenwood said. to participants.
The rest of the SWSG 2022 panelists included: Blaire Atkinson, President of the OSU Foundation; Claudia Humphreys, entrepreneur, philanthropist and owner of Coney Island; Representative Trish Ranson, OK House District 34; Alexis Smith Washington, Ph.D., Senior Inclusion Officer and William S. Spears Associate Professor of Management and Gay Washington, Stillwater Acting Superintendent and Educational Consultant. The general theme of the roundtable was “Challenges and Changes in Leadership Today”.
As the microphone passed around and questions from the audience were asked, attendees were able to hear many words of wisdom from the panelists. Alexis Smith Washington spoke about bridging the gap between societal opinion and women’s leadership.
“We’re all very different, and I think there’s room for diversity among us,” Washington said. “Some of us will naturally fit into a bunch of different environments because we’re nimble. We do what we need to do in those environments because we are who we are, no matter where we are, all the time. time.”
The panel continued to answer questions and offer some advice on their years of carving out a place for themselves as women in leadership, business and academia.
“Strength doesn’t really mean the strongest, strength can be seen in silence,” Washington said.
Humphreys left the crowd with some advice and final thoughts.
“My thing is to be humble, ask questions and keep digging. Don’t give up and don’t be afraid, everyone is. Have no fear,” Humphreys said.
Carolynn MacAllister, one of the committee members who helped put SWSG together, spoke with The O’Colly during the event. She said how happy she was to see positive change coming with events like these. One in three women around the world experience violence on a daily basis and MacAllister said she wants to help empower women in any way possible.
After the roundtable, the event continued to spotlight the SWSG 2022 winner who was in attendance. Mary Frye has spent her entire life making a difference in the OSU, Stillwater and Girl Scout communities. Following her recognition, the SWSG Committee also recognized the recipient of the Juliette Low Leadership Society Scholarship. Trinity Twellman, a recent graduate of Stillwater High School, has been involved with Girl Scouts since she was 5 years old and shared some thank you remarks with participants about the scholarship.
All proceeds raised from the event will stay in Payne County and support Girl Scouts. The funds will be set aside for leadership development programs, STEM learning, entrepreneurial experiences, outdoor adventure and community building skills according to SWSG committee members.
For more information on the event and sponsorships, please visit www.gseok.org/strong
