Emerging Women Leaders Forum
Call for Nominations
Deadline: August 8, 2022
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.
2021–22 Participants
Libby Ebelhar, Director, Financial Operations, Division of Intercollegiate Athletics
Kate Abney, Associate Director of Intercultural and Global Learning, LAS International Programs, Student Academic Affairs Office, College of Libera Arts and Sciences
Kelly Birky, Associate Director, Marketing & Strategic Communication, Center for Innovation in Teaching & Learning
Stephanie Brownstein, Assistant Scientist, Research Engineer, Prairie Research Institute – Illinois Sustainable Technology Center
Bethany Carmien Onwodi, Senior Student Financial Aid Administrator, Office of Student Financial Aid
Amy Carr, Office Manager, Naval Science
Jenny Cox, Associate Director for Administration, Chemistry
Aurora Cruz-Torres, School of MCB Academic Advisor and Education Justice Project Academic Advising Coordinator, School of Molecular & Cellular Biology and College of Education
Jamey Dunn-Thomason, Assistant Director, U of I System’s Institute of Government and Public Affairs
Leslie Froeschl, Senior Project Manager, National Center for Supercomputing Applications
Alisha Funkhouser-Walker, Records Supervisor, Division of Public Safety
Katrina Hagler, Associate Director of Recruiting and Data Management, Gies College of Business
Amber Hall, Human Resource Associate, Prairie Research Institute
Katie Harrell, Associate Director of Advancement, Performance Management, Office of the Vice Chancellor for Institutional Advancement
Angie Helmuth, Assistant Director of Financial Service for University Housing, University Housing
Meagan Hennessey, Assistant Director of IT Operations, IT Partners at Gies
Arianna Holterman, Assistant Dean, Student Assistance Center
Kortney Jones, Assistant Director for New Student Programs, Office of Student Success & Engagement
Karla Lucht, Assistant Director for MSLIS Advising,Information Sciences
Elizabeth Mason, Academic Skills Specialist, Undergraduate Affairs Applied Health Sciences
Elise McCarren, Chemistry Merit Program Director, Chemistry
Angie Powers, Associate Director, Career Services, Gies Career Services
Kimberly Powers, Academic Advisor, School of Chemical Sciences
Ana Rodriguez, Digitization Coordinator and Registrar, Rare Book & Manuscript Library, University Library
Tina Rolfe, Academic Accommodations Specialist, Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES)
Roxana Ryan, Associate Director, Research and Analysis, Office of Corporate Relations
Hileri Shah, Human Resource Associate, Shared Human Resources & Admin Services, Illini Union
Jennifer Sturner, Manager, Integrated User Services, Technology Services
Kristin Tennant, Creative Director, Gies College of Business, Marketing & Communications
Julie Wagner, Records and Information Management Services Coordinator, Records and Information Management Services, AITS
Emily Wuchner, Associate Director for Student Experience, Graduate College
Past Participants
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