7:00-8:30, Studio Theater on Lone Mountain
Art, Gender, and Conflict Arte, Género y Conflicto
Keynote presentation by Patricia Ariza (President, Colombian Theater Corporation) on her performance and peace-building work with women and survivors of violence.
Co-sponsored with Performing Arts for Social Justice (PASJ) and Center for Latino Studies in the Americas (CELASA)
Moderator: Roberto Gutiérrez Varea, Associate Professor, PASJ and Co-Director of CELASA
Patricia Ariza is the President of the Colombian Theater Corporation and Director, of Teatro La Candelaria, the first alternative theater group in Colombia. Her cultural work empowers women and marginalized communities to counteract injustice and restore social memory. In addition to co-founding Teatro La Candelaria, she has also served as founder and/or director of the Festival of Women on Stage, the Cultural Theatre Movement, the Colombian Theatre Corporation, the National Festival of New Theatre and the Festival of Alternative Theatre. She has also been cited for her commitment to the reduction of conflict in her native country.
5:00-7:00, Maraschi Room, Fromm Hall
The Power of Women: Corporate Social Responsibility
Moderator: Jennifer Turpin, Provost of USF
This panel brings together leading women from Bay Area corporations and non-profits to engage in a discussion of the role of corporate social responsibility around the world. With globalization, multinational corporations have proliferated and often wield an enormous amount of power. This panel will explore this power and, more specifically, the social obligations and responsibility that come with such power. Facilitated by USF’s own Provost, Jennifer Turpin, this panel will explore such issues as how to ensure fair labor practices and support for women workers in all countries; the relationship between corporate responsibility to shareholders and the key role that corporations can play in ensuring equitable development in many areas of the world; and the role that corporations can play, both at home and abroad, in promoting and protecting human rights, fair labor standards, and sustainable environmental practices. The panelists will also address their own unique experiences as women in positions of power and what advice they have for the next generation of women.
Panel:
Linda Hothem founded Pacific American Services, LLC and serves as its Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Hothem served as Director of International Trade Council from 2005 to 2006, National Association of Foreign Trade Zones from 2002 to 2006 and YMCA of the East Bay from 2001 to 2004. She is a Member at International Warehouse & Logistics Association. She was a Member at Warehousing Education Research Council (WERC), President NorCal, from 1998 to 1999, Distribution Management Association of California (DMAC) since President, 1993.
Ms. Hothem received Awards and Citations including Top 100 Women Owned Businesses in Bay Area, San Francisco Business Times from 1997 to 2005, Top 100 Women Owned Businesses in Bay Area, San Francisco Business Times in 2003, Woman Owned Business of the Year, Oakland Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce in 2002, Fastest Growing Business in Bay Area, San Francisco Business Times in 2002, Achievement Award Woman Entrepreneur of the Year, Bank of America & NAWBO in 1995, International Business of the Year, Port of Oakland, et al in 1995, Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies, San Francisco Business Times in 1994, Vic Fernandez Award Promoting International Trade, Port of Oakland in 1992.
Ms. Hothem received M.A., Organizational Development from University of San Francisco in December 2003, B.A., Political Science in Monterey Institute of International Studies in 1985, Certificate of Hispanic Studies, University of Barcelona from1983 to 1984 and an Associates Degree in Arts from Cabrillo College.
Erika Guevara-Rosas is a feminist lawyer and human rights activist, who currently serves as the Regional Director for the Americas at the Global Fund for Women (GFW). Erika has over fifteen years of international experience in the fields of human rights and social justice in different countries in the Americas, including Mexico, Ecuador, Canada, Colombia, Peru, Panama and Venezuela.
Before joining GFW, Erika worked for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), where she served as a Protection/Legal Officer for seven years, working mainly in border areas with war-affected populations. At UNHCR, she was actively involved in the formulation of policy and legal frameworks to ensure respect for refugees’ human rights, particularly of those more vulnerable such as women and children. Erika has also worked for non-profit organizations in Mexico (Sin Fronteras) and Canada (SAVIS), coordinating projects to promote and protect the rights of refugee and migrant women.
At the Global Fund for Women, as the head of the Americas program, Erika is responsible of leading a high-impact regional grant-making program to promote women’s human rights and, to influence transformative social change and women’s abilities to achieve economic independence, political participation and social action.
Erika serves on the boards of directors of the International Museum of Women and the Central American Women’s Fund and is a member of the Women’s Human Rights Education Institute’s Advisory Council and the Transnational Community Reinvestment Fund Advisory Board. She has written several articles on forced migration, gender and women’s issues.
Erika has a Master in Women's Studies, and post-graduate degree on Migration and Refugee Studies from York University in Canada. She received her LL.B from Universidad de Londres in Mexico City. She was born and raised in Mexico. Erika is fluent in Spanish and English, and conversational in Portuguese.
Wendy James is President & CEO of The Better World Group, which she founded in 1999, and directs all operations from the company’s Burbank, California office.
Over the past 30 years, James has developed unique expertise in the media, government, corporate and nonprofit sectors, with a special focus on environmental issues. She works with environmental and environmental justice groups, government organizations and progressive businesses in framing their environmental strategies and implementing advocacy campaigns in support of a wide array of policies and projects.
Wendy currently serves on the Board of Trustees for the California State Parks Foundation where she chairs the Government Relations Committee and serves on the Executive Committee of the Board. For 15 years, she has served on the Board of Advisors for the Institute for Transportation Studies at the University of California-Davis. Wendy recently completed over a decade of service on the Board of Directors for the California League of Conservation Voters (CLCV) where she served as Vice Chair, and also recently concluded eight years, including service as chair and vice chair, on the Board of Burbank Water & Power, a municipal utility serving more than 50,000 customers. She was selected by the Burbank Chamber of Commerce to represent the organization on the city’s Sustainability Commission. Among her accolades, Wendy was honored by CLCV in 2011 with an Environmental Leadership Award, recognized by the Coalition for Clean Air in 2009 with a Ralph B. Perry III Lifetime Achievement Award, honored by the California Climate Action Registry in 2008, and named Small Business Woman of the Year for California’s 20th Senate District and 43rd and 44th Assembly Districts in 2006.
Wendy has a B.A. degree in Journalism from Michigan State University, with minors in Political Science and Economics. She is accredited in public relations by the Public Relations Society of America and is a member of the Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians.
7:00-9:00, Maraschi Room, Fromm Hall
Sisters in Spirit: An Inter-faith Dialogue on Community, Faith and Social Transformation
Co-sponsored with University Ministry
Moderator: Lauryn Gregorio, B.A. Student Majoring in Theology and Religious Studies
How do women’s spiritual or religious perspectives inform, inspire and guide their work for social justice in their communities and in the world? Join four remarkable women, representing various spiritual faiths and traditions, as they engage in dialogue about the relationship between community, faith, and social transformation.
Panel:
Toni Battle is the founder of The Legacy Project, a culture enrichment program, which celebrates the culture, tradition and histories of African American and Native American youth based in San Francisco's Bayview Hunter's Point. She specializes in diversity, cultural dynamics, healing from historical harms, cultural education, race relations, and intra-racial prejudice. She has certification in diversity dynamics from National Multicultural Institute (NMCI), specializing in cross-cultural dynamics/communication, sustained mediation dialogue, developing diversity initiatives, and diversity design & implementation, creating diversity councils, and recruiting and retaining a diverse workgroup and certification in LGBT Training from Out & Equal Workplace Advocates and Social Justice Mediation from Association for Dispute Resolution (ADR).
Karen Erlichman has a private practice in San Francisco, where she provides psychotherapy, spiritual direction, supervision and mentoring. She is a core faculty member in the Spiritual Guidance Program at Sofia University(formerly the Institute for Transpersonal Psychology), adjunct faculty at Starr King School for the Ministry, as well as community faculty member at the University of California-San Francisco in the Department of OB/GYN and Reproductive Sciences.
Recently Karen served as a consultant for the National Welcoming Synagogues Project, and was a founding member of the Advisory Board of the Coalition of Welcoming Congregations of the Bay Area. Karen trained as a Courage and Renewal® facilitator with the Center for Courage and Renewal, inspired by the leadership of Quaker educator Parker Palmer. Her writing has appeared in Women and Therapy, Zeek and Tikkun, and she writes regularly for Presence: the Journal of Spiritual Directors International.
Bhawana Kamil was born and raised in the Bay Area. She received a BS in Chemistry from UC Berkeley. Soon after, she accepted Islam in September of 2000. Bhawana traveled overseas to Cairo, Egypt for a few years to study Arabic and Islamic Studies. After her return, she completed a Masters degree in Philosophy from San Jose State University, where she subsequently taught Ethics. Her Masters thesis was entitled, "Toward a Single Consciousness: Challenging 'Un-American-ness' of People of Color."
She is an active member of the Muslim American Society (Bay Area chapter) and is a public speaker. She has spoken at a variety of settings, including schools, universities, churches, conferences, and camps on several topics including ‘An Introduction to Islam,’ ‘Women in Islam,’ 'Islam and the Environment,' and 'Understanding Shariah.'
Bhawana serves as a Board Member on the Interfaith Council for Economics and Justice (ICEJ) for the County of Santa Clara and is a member of Steering Committee for California Interfaith Power and Light (CIPL). Bhawana currently teaches Philosophy at Evergreen Valley College.
Mary Waskowiak is a Sister of Mercy born in San Francisco, California. She has ministered in the fields of secondary and seminary education, spirituality and spiritual direction, leadership and facilitation. Mary served in congregational leadership for 16 years, most recently as the President of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. She also served in the Presidency for the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) from 1996-1999. In her role as LCWR President, Mary attended the month-long Synod for the Americas at the Vatican in 1997. As leader and facilitator Mary has visited and worked in 20 countries throughout the world. She speaks Spanish.
Mary’s strong interests lie in the areas of spirituality and leadership development as they are seen through the lenses of mercy, justice and global need, with particular attention to women and girl children. She believes a deep spirituality born of human vulnerability is foundational to personal and social transformation.
Mary has an M.A. in Pastoral Theology from the University of San Francisco and post-graduate certification in spiritual direction and Jungian psychology from the Institute for Spiritual Leadership in Chicago. She is completing certification as an executive coach through the Center for Right Relationships and the Full Circle Group.
Presently Mary serves as the first Director of Development and Fundraising for Mercy International Association, with offices in Dublin, Ireland and Burlingame, California.
2:30-4:30 McLaren Conference Center, Room 252
Gender and Justice: a conversation on domestic work and the common good
Co-sponsored with the Lane Center
Moderator: Lois Lorentzen, Professor of Theology and Religious Studies, Co-director of CELASA
This panel will feature activists and scholars addressing social, political, and ethical dimensions of domestic work. Local organizers will highlight current campaigns promoting social justice for domestic workers. The panel will also explore how the realities of gender and migration intersect with this topic.
Panel:
María Hernandez, San Francisco Program Coordinator, Mujeres Unidas y Activas. Originally from Mexico City, Ms Hernandez has worked with MUA since 2004 and was hired in 2008. In 2010 Maria helped MUA plan and launch its Sexual Assault Crisis Line, the only Spanish crisis line in Northern California. Maria is a skilled domestic violence advocate and conducts peer-to-peer counseling.
Valerie Francisco received her Ph.D. from the Department of Sociology at City University of New York, The Graduate Center and is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the Public Science Project in New York City. She works in collaboration with Filipino immigrant workers and organizers to highlight understudied work conditions of caregivers to the elderly in California.
Catherine Osborne is completing a Ph.D. in Theology at Fordham University, specializing in Catholic Studies. Her article "Migrant Domestic Careworkers":
Between the Public and the Private in Catholic Social Teaching" was recently published in the Journal of Religious Ethics.
Lillian Galedo is the executive director of Filipino Advocates for Justice (FAJ). Ms. Galedo has worked for FAJ since 1980, helping to shape the organization's work on youth leadership development, immigration, support for low-wage workers and civic engagement. FAJ is a lead organization in the California campaign for a Domestic Worker Bill of Rights and the Dignity Campaign for Real Immigration Reform.
