CRESTVIEW HILLS, Ky. (Mar. 7, 2023) — Ringing in Women’s History Month, Thomas More University held its second annual Women’s Conference on Friday, March 3, 2023, presented by Fifth Third Bank and Mubea. This year’s theme, Women Who Innovate, brought together an audience from across the tristate area to celebrate and recognize the contributions of women through four keynote speakers and a discussion panel. Additional sponsors represented at the conference include ATech Training, St. Elizabeth Healthcare, The Hartongs Photojournalists, and United Healthcare.

Jeni Al Bahrani ’05, inaugural director of Thomas More’s Dr. Anthony ’65 & Geraldine ’66 Zembrodt Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, gave the welcoming keynote. Al Bahrani is an advocate for empowering people to create their own lane of opportunity through the increase of access to entrepreneurship, which leads to creating programs and experiences on campus and in the community. “No matter what I’m building, no matter what you’re building, no matter what your organization is building, you can’t do it alone,” Al Bahrani said to attendees. “That’s why I love that we’re all here today together. We can reach across the table, find some connections, shake things up, figure out what we can innovate together, and lift as we rise.” To watch Al Bahrani’s keynote address, CLICK HERE.

Following Al Bahrani’s keynote, was a moving presentation from D. Lynn Meyer ’77, producing artistic director at the Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati. Meyer has directed over 100 world and regional premiers throughout the U.S. and Canada during her career and is a member of the Casting Society of America, having cast for PBS, CBS, BBC, HBO, MTM, Paramount, Warner Brothers, and MGM. With examples from her impressive career, Meyer captivated the audience saying, “There’s absolutely nothing you can’t do. … You’re the only one that knows your capabilities. Don’t give them any doubt. There are enough people out there that will doubt you, so don’t doubt yourself.” To watch Meyers presentation, CLICK HERE.

Suzanne Francis, current medical liaison for Novo Nordisk and former manager of Ambulatory Clinical Pharmacy at St. Elizabeth Healthcare, shifted the day’s focus to innovation in healthcare. A pioneer in the pharmacy field, Francis expanded the scope of the anticoagulation clinics, now called Medication Management Clinics, and began immunization services at St. Elizabeth outpatient pharmacies. Francis also started a second year pharmacy residency program, where she served as director until February 2023.

The theme of innovation continued into the afternoon as Judith Marlowe ’69, Ph.D., chair of Thomas More Board of Trustees moderated a panel during the lunch hour. Marlowe welcomed Vashti Chatman, global chief human resources officer at Big Village, Kim Halbauer ’00, president of the Kentucky Region at Fifth Third Bank, and Sue Ellen Stuebing ’84, vice president and CDO at CET/ThinkTV. The women shared their professional experiences leading to leadership roles. To watch the panel discussion, CLICK HERE.

The day’s final session led by Jill Morenz, CEO of Aviatra Accelerators, brought the conversation back to innovation in entrepreneurship. With nearly 10 years of non-profit experience and 20 years as an entrepreneur, Morenz has created two businesses during her career and leverages those insights as the chief executive officer of Aviatra. At Aviatra she works with female entrepreneurs, setting them up for business success.

Attendees gained valuable insights from these prominent women in the community, while learning how to celebrate their own accomplishments and set goals for the future. Look for the date of the 2024 Thomas More Women’s Conference to be announced soon. We hope to see you there.

For more information about Thomas More University, visit www.thomasmore.edu.

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About Thomas More University

For 100 years, Thomas More has created a university for the student who wants to Be More, Do More, Seek More, Win More, Achieve More, and Create More. Since its founding in 1921, Thomas More has provided a mission-driven, liberal arts education that is based in the Catholic Intellectual Tradition. Students learn to harness the power of human reason to solve problems and discover truth, which allows them to begin the journey to become the person they were created to be. Entering into the second century, it’s time for More. Serving more than 2,000 students, Thomas More aspires to be the premier Catholic university in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region, build upon its excellent return on investment (ranked #1 among private universities/colleges in Kentucky by MSN Money in 2021 and ranked #2 for long term gain in Kentucky by a 2022 Georgetown University study) and share with this generation the transformative power of the Thomas More experience. To find out more, visit thomasmore.edu.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lyna Kelley, director of communications and PR, [email protected], 859.344.3309