GOVERNOR LINGLE HOSTS FIFTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

For Immediate Release: September 16, 2008

HONOLULU – Top women leaders from eight different nations who are unparalleled in their achievements will gather in Honolulu on Wednesday, Sept. 24 to share their personal and professional stories of success at the fifth annual International Women’s Leadership Conference (IWLC), Perspectives, Reflections and Visions for a Global Community, at the Sheraton Waikīkī Hotel and Resort.

The public is encouraged to attend. Online registration for conference attendees and sponsors is available through the conference website, http://www.hawaii.gov/gov/iwlc/2008.  Registration will remain open until Sunday, Sept. 21, at midnight.

The one-day conference will feature the first female police chief in the nation’s capitol, the first female and first Filipino-American executive chef of the White House, the first female Yeoman Warder (Beefeater) at the Tower of London, the first African-American female combat pilot, the U.S. ambassador to the Philippines, an Australian business executive specializing in cultural change in the workplace, a CFO of an international developer of advanced defense and aerospace systems, and a Sudanese refugee who is now a paralegal in a top legal firm.  The nations that will be represented are: Australia, China, Japan, Philippines, Sudan, Uganda, United Kingdom and United States.

The conference will also feature a panel discussion with international higher education leaders, including university presidents and chancellors from Australia, China, Japan, Uganda, and the United States.  The panel will be held in a Q & A format, at first being moderated, and then opened to the attendees for questions.

In addition to the keynote speakers and a video message from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the conference will include time set aside specifically for networking opportunities for attendees. 

Featured speakers include, in order of the conference schedule:

Cristeta “Cris” Comerford – Originally from Manila, Philippines – Columbia, Maryland, USA
As the first female executive chef for the White House, Cristeta Comerford’s schedule is never dull.  Comerford will share her experiences as the first female executive chef for the White House and the first Filipino to run the White House’s kitchen.  From state dinners to casual meals in the East Wing, Comerford’s menus are as diverse and multi-cultural as her training. 

Ambassador Kristie Kenney – Manila, Philippines
A distinguished senior diplomat with the U.S. Department of State, Ambassador Kenney currently serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the Philippines.  Among her leadership roles, Kenney coordinated a critical public-private partnership to address the education needs of Filipino child laborers and victims of abusive child labor practices in the Philippines.

Chief Cathy Lanier – Washington, D.C., USA
Despite low numbers of women in the field of law enforcement, Chief Lanier serves as the first female Chief of Police for the District of Columbia.  As the former Commander of the Special Operations Division (SOD), she established the agency’s first Homeland Security/Counter-Terrorism Branch.

Ms. Aduei Riak – Originally from Sudan, Africa – Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Currently a paralegal for the Boston law firm, Ropes & Gray, Aduei Riak was one of the 4,000 Sudanese refugees as a child.  Now in her early 20s, Riak says, “I’ve seen a lot of things that a person my age should not have been exposed to.” Among her stories is the thousand-mile walk she took to flee the civil war in Sudan.  Riak works currently to construct schools for children in Sudan.

Ms. Jayne Schmitt – Arlington, Virginia, USA
Beginning as a systems programmer for Unisys, Jayne Schmitt has since gained over 30 years of experience in the defense contracting industry, currently serving as the vice president and CFO of the Customer Solutions Operating Group for BAE Systems, Inc., a $31 billion international firm.  Schmitt believes strongly in managing by expectation and giving employees license to do their job.

Ms. Moira Cameron – London, United Kingdom
Appointed as the first female Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London in 2007, Moira Cameron overcame centuries of inequality in the United Kingdom. Cameron remains the only woman to hold this honored position to guard the crown jewels in the Tower’s 900-year history.

Ms. Alison Spencer – Sydney, Australia
Under Alison Spencer’s leadership as IBM’s Manager for Organizational Culture and Change in Australia, her company has been named “Employer of Choice for Women” by the federal government's Equal Opportunity for Women in the Workplace Agency (EOWA) for the seventh year in a row.  For her vision and leadership, Spencer herself was named EOWA’s Diversity Leader of the Year in 2003.

Captain Vernice Armour – Washington, D.C., USA
Vernice Armour earned her pilot's wings in July 2001 and was ranked first in her class. She was recognized as America's first African-American female combat pilot by the Department of Defense and completed two combat tours of duty in the Persian Gulf as a Captain in the United States Marine Corps.
In addition, there will be a video message from U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Panel Discussion with International Higher Education Leaders:

Chen Naifang – People’s Republic of China
Former president, Beijing Foreign Studies University

Noriko Mizuta – Japan
Chancellor and President, Josai University

Mary J. Nakandha Okwakol – Uganda
Vice-Chancellor, Busitema University

Sandra Harding – Australia
Vice-Chancellor and President, James Cook University

Joy Carter – United Kingdom
Vice-Chancellor, University of Winchester

Rose Tseng – USA
Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i at Hilo

Virginia Hinshaw – USA
Chancellor, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

Sue Wesselkamper – USA
President, Chaminade University

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For more information, contact:

Lenny Klompus
Senior Advisor – Communications
Phone: (808) 586-7708

Russell Pang
Chief of Media Relations
Phone: (808) 586-0043