SAU Women in Leadership Conference

04/09/2021

Calling all Women! The Women in Leadership conference is next Saturday! April 17th at 8:30am to 3:30 pm, its at the Poling center! Come by for a great opportunity to listen to some amazing speakers! There will be brunch and coffee!

If you want to register to join, there is a link in the about us!
The prices:
For general: $45
Vitual: $5
Staff/Faculty/Alumni: $25
Students: $15

We would love to see you there!

04/06/2021

Meet Mollie Bolton!
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Workshop title:
"10 Rules of the Road"
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Description: "Principles of investing that can help you achieve your goals and avoid common investing mistakes. Learning to lead from a financial perspective. Don't leave your legacy-live your legacy-if you live a legacy, you leave a legacy."
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Bio:
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I began my career in October 2000 when I accepted a marketing director position at an Independent Financial firm where thankfully I was encouraged to obtain my securities licenses. In October 2002 I began working for Edward Jones. I realized very quickly how strongly I cared about our clients & how much I enjoy working for this firm and in this industry.
I am a lifelong Jackson resident & live a full life here; I am involved in my church, active in community volunteerism, have led an adult co-ed volleyball league for the past 15 years & am a musician. I am the vice chair of Chamber Board of Directors, serve on the Chamber Executive & Ambassador Committee as well as a board member for the Jackson Area Estate Planning

03/29/2021

Living, Learning, Leading:

A Family Legacy Perspective from the Third Generation

Tricia (Merillat) McGuire

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Tricia (Merillat) McGuire, the youngest of three sisters, is an educator by trade, having spent ten years in the public school system as a teacher and developer of curriculum and assessment materials.

Tricia no longer teaches in a class-room, choosing instead to play an active role in her children’s lives by teaching them the Christian values in which she was raised. She volunteers as the Special Projects Director at Lenawee Christian School in Adrian, Michigan. Tricia also holds a board seat at Lenawee Christian Ministries and is Vice President of the Merillat Family Foundation. Tricia graduated from Anderson University with degrees in Education and Early Childhood Development. She also attended Eastern Michigan University where she earned her Master's degree in Education.

Tricia applies her Christian faith and family values when focus-ing on the continuation of a family legacy. As the granddaughter of Orville and Ruth Merillat, founders of Merillat Cabinetry, she was able to see the impact they had on the local community and the beginnings of the family legacy. As the daughter of Richard and Lynette Merillat, she was exposed to how a family legacy can be furthered. Now, with three children of her own, she is following in the footsteps of her parents and grandparents and accepting her role in the continuation of the family legacy beyond its current 60-year tenure.

Tricia is married to David McGuire, whom she met while in college at Anderson University, in Anderson Indiana. Following graduation, they both moved to Michigan where they started their careers, and later, their family. Tricia and David have three children - Vaughn (16), StellaRose (15), and EvelynViolet (13.5).

03/25/2021

Meet Monica Moser!
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Workshop title and description:
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“Setting an Intention to be Intentional”
“In order to follow in the footsteps of women community leaders, learn ways to be intentional in seeking mentors, in seeking networking opportunities, and in aligning what you do with where you want to go.”
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Company and Bio:
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President/CEO Jackson Community Foundation
A recognized community leader known for building collaborative partnerships, facilitating crucial community conversations, and forging new ways of working as a community to solve system issues.
As the President and CEO of the Jackson Community Foundation since 2011, Monica has built a responsive philanthropic organization that consistently delivers results by developing new ways to connect with people who care about the community and aligning grantmaking resources with locally driven plans for improvement. This work includes facilitating multi-system analysis, defining system problems, developing goals and objectives, committing to shared measurements and building a spirit of community unity around population improvements. In this role, she likes to think of herself as a community cheerleader, a convener of action, and a proactive problem-solver.
At the Jackson Community Foundation, Monica’s most significant achievements have been to double the size of the endowment and to grow the impact of the organization from just a grantmaking organization to one that provides community leadership and facilitation of crucial conversations. She continues to embed and expand the Foundation’s work around building systems that are more equitable for our community members and increasing to opportunity for all to reach our full potential.
Monica holds a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Arts in Therapy from Russell Sage College in New York and a Masters in Business Administration from Spring Arbor University in Michigan. She lives in Jackson with her husband Steven Trosin and their two Australian shepherds, Romeo and Sophie. Together they have five adult children living across the world and a brand-new granddaughter who is a dual citizen of the United States and Thailand.

03/22/2021

Sheri Jones
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Sheri Jones graduated with honors from Michigan State University's College of Communication Arts and Sciences. Her journalism career began when she worked as a news intern with WLNS TV6. For 30 years, Sheri has reported the news as an anchor on TV6's nighttime newscasts in Lansing. When she's not on the air, Sheri volunteers her time with the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, the Children's Trust Fund of Michigan, ATHENA International and Child & Family Services, Capital Area.
Sheri's exemplary leadership has been recognized many times in her community, including when she received the 2011 Professional Woman of the Year and the Women's Hall of Fame Extraordinary Woman awards. She will present the opening keynote session, "Lighting the Way: How you can

03/16/2021

Meet Tonia White!
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Workshop name and description:
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"I’m Brave, I’m Happy, and I’m Not Sorry about it!"
If I’ve learned anything during my 30 years of management experience, it’s to be unafraid, unapologetic, and optimistic in the face of adversity and hardship. In this interactive session, we’ll explore the many roles that women play, and how to empower ourselves to face our fears, look for the silver lining in life, and to stop apologizing for things we shouldn’t.
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Her Bio:
A lifelong resident of Jackson and graduate of Jackson High School, Tonia White understands her community and the people in it, which is perfect for her role as Chief Employee Experience Officer at American 1 Credit Union. She may be the middle child in her family, but she’s really the boss, which explains her more than 30 years of management experience. Tonia loves astrology and uses meditation to help keep her balanced, which is a key skill for someone who also serves on the Downtown Development Board and enjoys volunteering at the Salvation Army and Martin Luther King Center. Most importantly, Tonia enjoys spending time with her husband of 24 years, Deshon, and their son Christopher, sipping tea, watching a good murder mystery, or cheering on the Wolverines. Go Blue!

03/11/2021

Meet Cindy Harrison!
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Her Workshop title is
“Effective Leadership”
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Company and bio:
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Henry Ford System, VP HR.
Cindy H. Harrison currently serves as the Vice-President/Human Resources, Central Market, for the Henry Ford Health System in Southeastern Michigan, USA. Ms. Harrison holds a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and Health Services Administration from the University of Colorado and has worked as a Healthcare Executive for more than 40 years. She is a Past President of the American Society for Healthcare Human Resources Administration of the American Hospital Association and has served on the Boards of various charitable organizations. Cindy is the key HR consultant to the Aravind Eye Care System in Madurai, Tamal Nadu, India and has served in this volunteer capacity for the past 18 years

03/10/2021

Meet Angel Kono!
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All about Angel. "As women, we wear multiple hats and I am no exception. In my 20's and 30's, my main roles were wife to Brian and mom to four great kids. As I shifted into career mode in my 40's, I spent a decade doing professional counseling and being an adjunct professor at SAU. Currently, I am shifting again into a pastoral role, but my favorite hat to wear remains the one that connects me to family--wife/mom/mom-in-law, and the best one of all, Gram!"
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Angels workshop will include how We live in a noisy world where we are 'hearing' all the time, but few of us take time to really 'listen' to those around us. We lead better when we listen better! Join me in exploring the concept of active listening as it applies to learning from those we lead and those who lead us.

03/10/2020

04/14/2019

Thank you so much to everyone who came out yesterday and to everyone who helped make this year’s conference a success! It was an amazing day filled with wonderful women, inspiring messages, good food, and lots of smiles. Can’t wait for next year!