Savannah State University will present the annual Women’s Leadership Conference on Thursday, March 22, and Friday, March 23. Entitled "SSU Full S.T.E.A.M. Ahead: Women Leading the Way," it will recognize, honor and promote the outstanding contributions women make in the fields of science, technology, engineering, arts and math (S.T.E.A.M.) and encourage involvement in S.T.E.A.M. disciplines.
 
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, women fill close to half of all jobs in the U.S. economy, but hold a disproportionately low share of science, technology, engineering and math undergraduate degrees.

Valencia Austin ’93, senior manager of quality assurance and manager of quality control, EMD Performance Materials Corp., will be the opening speaker on Thursday, March 22, 6 p.m., Student Union. A networking reception, featuring spoken word and dance performances, will follow.

The opening keynote on Friday, March 23, 8 a.m., Student Union, will feature Cathy Hill, a retired executive with Georgia Power, one of the company’s first female engineers. After nine years heading up the coastal region office, Hill became the VP of land development for the energy company.

The main day of the conference will feature numerous breakout sessions on artificial intelligence, digital footprints, climate change and more.

Li-Lin Tseng, associate professor of art history at Pittsburg State University in Kansas, will give the luncheon presentation on Chinese and Chinese-American cinema, 1897-1934. Tseng’s presentation is sponsored by the Confucius Institute at SSU.

Attendance registration is $50 per person or $25 per student. Vendor registration is $115. Registration and information: www.savannahstate.edu/wlc.