29 March 2010, Oakland, CA – The Associated Students of Laney College (ASLC) have invited a group of extraordinary East Bay women to participate in a panel discussion on the topic of leadership, in celebration of Women’s History Month. This free event is scheduled for Tuesday, March 30th from 12 – 1 p.m. on the 4th Floor of the Student Center at Laney College in Oakland.
Nancy Nadel, Oakland City Council Member, District 3, Dr. Elnora Webb, Acting President of Laney College, Leslie Ewing, Executive Director, Pacific Center, Dr. Inger Stark, Chair of the Sociology Department and Acting Dean, and Dr. Angela Smith, Chair of the Communications Department will field questions from the Women’s History Month Committee members, such as “What challenges do you, or women in general still face in your/their communities, who has been the most influential or inspirational woman in your life and together and how can women break the glass ceiling and enrich the lives of women not only in our community but in the world?”.
At the conclusion of the presentation, the panelists will receive Certificates of Appreciation.
Nancy Nadel is in her third term as an Oakland City Councilmember, and chairs the Public Works Committee on the City Council. Ms. Nadel is an Executive Board member of the Oakland Community Action Agency whose charge is to help lift Oaklanders out of poverty. Nancy serves on the advisory committee for Restorative Justice for Oakland Youth, a non-profit formed to introduce restorative justice practices into the schools, juvenile justice system and community. She is also a member of the Association of Bay Area Governments Executive Committee, Regional Planning Committee and chairs the Earthquake Hazards Outreach Review Committee. Nancy has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Alfred University, a Bachelor of Science in Geology from SF State University and an MS from UC Berkeley in Engineering Geoscience where she was a full fellowship student.
Elñora Tena Webb recently became the Acting President of Laney College. Prior to her appointment, Dr. Webb served as the Laney College Vice President of Instruction from 2005 – 2009, and before that, Dean of Humanities, Language Arts & Social Sciences from 2002 – 2005. Dr. Webb was a member of the Community College Leadership program at U.C. Berkeley and completed her Ph.D. in Education with emphasis in Higher Education Administration/Policy.
Leslie Ewing’s volunteer activism on behalf of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community has spanned more than twenty-five years, from helping found the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, to serving as a media coordinator for the LGBT National Equality March in 2009. Ms. Ewing stepped in as the executive director of the Pacific Center for Human Growth in the fall of 2008, when reduced funding from public and private sources threatened the Center with closure. Pacific Center, located in Berkeley California, has served the LGBTQ community of the East Bay since 1973 and is the third-oldest LGBTQ Community Center in the United States. Leslie was also recently nominated by her community for Assembly Member Nancy Skinner’s “Woman of the Year” award which recognizes outstanding women in Assembly District 14.
Inger Stark is in her sixth year at Laney College. She has served as an Instructor in Sociology, Department Chair in Social Sciences, Dean of Student Services and is currently Acting Dean of Business, Math and Science. In addition to her formal appointments, Inger has served on numerous shared governance committees, was a member of the team that pulled together the first “Women’s HerStory Month” events at Laney College in 2006. Inger earned her M.A. and Ph.D. at U.C. Santa Cruz and her B.A. at U.C. Davis. Inger began her college education in the Community College system, at both Columbia and Foothill Colleges.
At press time, biographical information for Dr. Angela Smith, Chair of the Communications Department was not available.
Since 1964, the Peralta Community College District – Berkeley City College, College of Alameda and Laney and Merritt Colleges – has served Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland and Piedmont by providing East Bay students of all ages with a range of educational programs and life-long learning opportunities. To learn more, visit www.peralta.edu.
