- Posted 03/22/2001
Contact: Andrew Svec, 218-281-8435
UMC to Celebrate Women’s Achievements at March 29 Luncheon
The University of Minnesota, Crookston (UMC) Commission on Women will host its second annual luncheon “Celebrating Women’s Achievements” on Thursday, March 29, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. in Rooms A, B, and C in the Brown Dining Room of the Sahlstrom Conference Center. Speakers will begin a noon. UMC students, employees, and Crookston community members are all invited to attend. Lunch is $4.75 per person. Dessert is complimentary for all attendees.
Women from a variety of career areas—education, business, and technology—will discuss their careers. They will detail their career experiences, challenges, and people or events that were helpful or instrumental in those experiences. The panel will also share advice on the opportunities for women in their respective fields. The event marks the end of observance of Women’s History Month at UMC.
Scheduled speakers include Nancy "Rusty" Barcelo, Associate Vice President for Multicultural Affairs at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities; Renee Rongen, Founder of Corporate Communications, a consulting group; and Holly Ellram, Advisory Product Development Consultant for Lawson Software.
Rusty
Barcelo is presently the
Associate Vice President for Multicultural Affairs at the University of
Minnesota and is also an adjunct professor for the Department of Chicano
Studies. Barcelo is
responsible for providing leadership and guidance in carrying out one of
the University's primary goals, enhancing diversity.
She assists the president and other members of the University
community by providing information and analyses on fiscal, programmatic,
and administrative implications of proposed policies and by ensuring that
minority and diversity-related issues are key considerations in all major
budgetary, administrative, and governance decisions.
Barcelo provides outreach and service to communities of color,
women, people with disabilities, and members of gay and lesbian groups.
She will soon leave the University of Minnesota to serve as vice
president for minority affairs at the University of Washington.
Renee
Rongen is a business professional
with over fifteen years’ experience in business administration, sales,
marketing and management. Eight years ago she formed her own consulting group,
Corporate Communications, and has assisted small businesses and large
corporations in developing and implementing strategic business plans. Before she founded Corporate Communications, Rongen held
positions that included product manager for Lucas Aerospace; marketing
manager for Carlson Companies; and national accounts manager for Avis
Rent-A-Car. Rongen has
conducted numerous seminars on customer service, leadership, and adoption
strategies. She has also
served as a frequent motivational speaker for several organizations.
Holly
Ellram has worked for Lawson Software, based in St. Paul, for fourteen
years in the areas of customer support, research and development,
consulting, and training. As
an advisory product development consultant, she uses her experience and
understanding of systems architecture, applications, and technologies and
her communication skills in developing and executing launch strategies
when new software products are developed.
Specifically working with emerging web-based solutions, she enjoys
the challenge of learning, demystifying technical concepts, and working
with the process of knowledge-transfer.
Ellram recently entered the fast-growing community of remote
workers, retaining her high-tech employment while building a new life here
in Crookston. Her consulting
career has proven that a love of travel, an ability to adapt to constant
change, and a commitment to life-long learning can provide unlimited
opportunities.