Boundary Breaking Women's Panel Showcases Women in Leadership

Baylor University welcomes the 10th annual Boundary Breaking Women’s Panel, hosted by the Women’s and Gender Studies program, to take place from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 19, on the fifth floor of the Cashion Academic Center. The event features 10 Baylor faculty and staff members in campus leadership roles highlighting 10 women boundary-breakers whose leadership efforts redefined women’s place in society.

The yearly tradition of the Boundary Breaking Women’s Panel was founded in 2015 by Kimberly Kellison, Ph.D., associate professor of history and associate dean of the humanities and social sciences in the College of Arts & Sciences. It initially was organized as a way for Baylor to participate in the discussion about placing a woman on U.S. currency.

“During the past decade or so, women’s leadership has been on the rise in the U.S.,” said event organizer Theresa Varney Kennedy, Ph.D., professor of French and director of Women’s and Gender Studies. “According to a recent article in Forbes magazine, women leaders are needed because they ‘approach leadership with a heightened capacity for empathy, connection-building, and inclusiveness.’ These are some of the unique leadership traits that they bring to their businesses and places of work.”

Noting the upward trend in women’s leadership at Baylor, Kennedy hopes the panel will inspire future growth at the University and beyond by celebrating current women leaders at Baylor and the women leaders who have inspired them.

The lineup of boundary breakers and speakers includes:

• Hrotsvitha von Gandersheim, Playwright Nun of Tenth Century Germany (ca.935-973). Presented by DeAnna Toten Beard, Ph.D., vice provost for faculty affairs and professor of theatre history, College of Arts & Sciences.
• Ellen Ochoa, first Latina astronaut (1958-). Presented by Kristina Campos-Davis, Ph.D., chief of staff to the Provost.
• Babe Didrikson Zaharias, 1932 Olympic Gold Medalist and one of the founders of the LPGA (1911-1956). Presented by Lisa Shaver, Ph.D., women faculty writing program coordinator and professor of professional writing and rhetoric, College of Arts & Sciences.
• Lucy Stone, American Women’s Rights Activist (1818-1893). Presented by Mandy McMichael, Ph.D., associate director of ministry guidance and The J. David Slover Associate Professor of Ministry Guidance, College of Arts & Sciences.
• Jeffie Obrea Allen Conner, Waco home economist and teacher (1895-1972). Presented by Emily Hunter, Ph.D., chair and professor of management, Hankamer School of Business.
• Kathrine Switzer, American Marathon Runner and Author (1947-). Presented by Tiffany Hogue, J.D., chief of staff to the President.
• Kay Yow, American Basketball Coach (1942-2009). Presented by Margaret Wooddy, Ph.D., all-level physical education program director in Health, Kinesiology and Leisure Studies, Robbins College of Health and Human Sciences.
• Sister Rosetta Tharpe, American singer, songwriter and guitarist (1915-1973). Presented by Monique Ingalls, Ph.D., associate professor of music and director of research and graduate programs in Church Music, School of Music.
• Muriel Lezak, American Neuropsychologist (1927-2021). Presented by Sara Dolan, Ph.D., associate dean for Professional Development Graduate School and professor of psychology and neuroscience, College of Arts & Sciences.
• Simone de Beauvoir, French existentialist, philosopher, writer, and feminist activist (1908-1986). Presented by Theresa Varney Kennedy, Ph.D., director of Women’s and Gender Studies and professor of French, College of Arts & Sciences.

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked Research 1 institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 20,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating University in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 100 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.