Ivanka Trump Executive to keynote Brenau Women's Leadership Program March 20

GAINESVILLE - Those who attend Brenau University's special March 20 program about how women can carve out the lives they want to lead will hear from an executive in one of America's best-known brands, co-head of a north Georgia media organization, lawyers, educators, a key player in one of the world's largest charitable organizations and an executive in an online human resources firm.

That is the lineup for the second Brenau Women's Leadership Colloquium on Friday, March 20, from 1:30-4:30 p.m.at the John S. Burd Center for the Performing Arts, 429 Academy St., in Gainesville. The program is free and open to the public, but attendees should pre-register to guarantee seating. A reception follows the program.

The keynote speaker is Marissa Kraxberger, the creative vice president for Ivanka Trump's growing fashion enterprise and author of "Lady & Prince," www.ladyandprince.com, where she blogs about her life as a working mom in the fashion industry, raising kids in the city and her travel adventures.
In her work she oversees the entire Ivanka Trump brand identity, which includes defining the voice of the brand, the overall creative and editorial direction of www.IvankaTrump.com, strategy and execution of the company's social media presence and managing an in-house creative team. She has had a diverse career in design, art direction and brand development for high-profile fashion and lifestyle brands including Diane von Furstenberg, Kate Spade New York and Oscar de la Renta.

Others speaking at the event include:

Anna Jacobs, who graduated from Brenau Women's College in 1986 and with her husband, Jay, manages their family-owned business Jacobs Media Corporation, which includes three radio stations (WDUN AM and FM and 1240 ESPN Radio WGGA) as well as news website AccessNorthGa.com;

Tracy Rhodes, a partner in Evans & Rhodes, LLC, which specializes in contested family law cases and real estate litigation;

Lindsey Nelson, the vice president of sales productivity and talent development for CareerBuilder and its 1,200 sales people, responsible for ensuring the ideal operations exist to execute their sales strategy effectively;

Kris Orr Brown, a litigation attorney, with offices in Gainesville and Atlanta, whose practice focuses primarily on employment discrimination and civil rights;

Carrie Conway, a senior program officer serving the Robert W. Woodruff Foundation, the Lettie Pate Evans Foundation, the Joseph B. Whitehead Foundation, and the Lettie Pate Whitehead Foundation;

Valerie Simmons-Walston, the dean of students at Brenau University who volunteers with several non-profit organizations including Habitat for Humanity and WomenSource; and

Ashley Lee, who graduated from Breanu in May 2014 and continues to work with her alma mater as an online tutor for the Writing Center.

"Our keynote address,'Creating the Life You Want to Live,' sets the tone for the conference and the expectations people can take away from it," said Dr. Debra Dobkins, dean of the Women's College at Brenau. "We had about 100 people attend last year, and the excitement generated has brought it back again this year to a bigger venue. It is a great opportunity for leaders in the community to come together and share with our students."

The purpose of the colloquium is to bring together alumnae, students, faculty, and community leaders for conversations about the unique potential and challenges of women's leadership. The gathering offers inspiration and practical information for both seasoned and aspiring leaders and for those who wish to support women in leadership roles.

Brenau University Women's Leadership Colloquium is made possible in part through the generosity of donors to the Grace/Gaskins Women's Studies Endowment Fund.

Register online by visiting http://www.brenau.edu/about/leadershipcolloquium/ or contact Whitney Neveils at [email protected] or 770.534.6179.

http://accesswdun.com/article/2015/3/286410