Emerging Women Leaders Forum

The Emerging Women Leaders Forum provides leadership development for early career professional women at Illinois who aspire to become organizational leaders. The women are nominated to participate in this 9-month program by senior administrators.

The focus of this program is to equip participants with leadership skills and strategies that will positively impact their departments and the communities in which they live and serve. The selected women attend monthly seminars where campus and community senior women leaders will share their insight and experience on topics ranging from networking to identifying individual strengths to navigating organizational politics.

2020–2021 Participants

Marissa Barlaz, Affirmative Action Data Analyst, Office for Access & Equity

Wendy Bartlo, Assistant Director for Strategic Initiatives and Research Relations, College of Applied Health Sciences

Kalina Borkiewicz, Senior Research Programmer, Advanced Visualization Lab, National Center for Supercomputing Applications

Haruka Brown, Research Administration Manager, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering

Rachel Chlebanowski, Director of Degrees, Gies College of Business

Katherine Darr, Corporate Relations Coordinator, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

Ulyssia Dennis, Associate Director of Engineering Career Services, Grainger College of Engineering

Margaret Edwards, Assistant Dean for Student Affairs at the School of Information Sciences

Lin Fan, Lead Specialist, Grainger Engineering Information Technology

Madeline Farrell, Advocacy and Wellness Coordinator, Women’s Resources Center

Akua Forkuo-Sekyere, Advocacy and Wellness Coordinator, Women’s Resources Center

Kelly Foster, Program Coordinator, IQUIST Grainger College of Engineering

Kate Gardiner, Visiting Extension Outreach Associate, Extension Agriculture & Natural Resources

Ilalee Harrison James, Associate Director of The Hoeft Technology & Management Program

Oulay Harvey, Administrative Aide, Illinois Business Consulting, Gies College of Business

Eden Haycraft, Associate Director, Online Graduate Programs, School of Labor and Employment Relations

Lauren Karplus, Academic Advisor/Experiential Learning Coordinator, College of Agricultural and Consumer Economics

Debra Larson, Coordinator of Communications & Alumni Relations, Department of Aerospace Engineering

Jill Moore-Reynen, Senior Coordinator eLearning, Gies College of Business

Jessica Perez, Associate Director of Education and Inclusivity for an Engineering Research Center, Department of Mechanical Science and Engineering

Danielle Runyon, Director of External Engagement, College of Applied Health Sciences

Deborah Seiler, Extension and Public Engagement Connection Center Coordinator, Illinois Extension

Allison Sivers, Coordinator Fiscal Planning and Budget, University of Illinois System

Rashimi Tenneti, Assistant Director, Marketing and Communications, Office of Corporate Relations

Talisa Thompson, Director of HR at Gies College of Business

Lissette Venable, Student Records Coordinator, College of Media

Kelli Wendt, Director of Budget and Resource Planning, Beckman Institute

Jeanice Wiard, Charge Auditor, Veterinary Teaching Hospital