Bethany College to Hold Fourth Annual Women and Leadership Weekend

Bethany, W.Va. – Bethany College will bring women from its student body together with its alumnae community for a series of weekend events promoting women and leadership.

The events will be held March 23–24 as part of Bethany’s Fourth Annual Ann Wilkin Trombadore Women and Leadership Weekend. These invitation-only events feature prominent Bethany alumnae from the worlds of business, government, academia and institutions, and give current female students the opportunity to network and further their leadership aspirations.

The Women’s Leaders Recognition Dinner will kick off the weekend on Friday, March 23, with keynote speaker Lisa Allen, President and CEO of Ziegenfelder Company, one of the largest producers of frozen dessert products the United States.

Allen is responsible for the strategic leadership and growth of the privately owned, Wheeling-based company in the highly competitive global food industry. Under her leadership, Ziegenfelder has grown steadily over the past 18 years and now employs more than 300 people.

Saturday’s activities will begin with a panel discussion of Bethany alumnae, led by Leslie Steele ‘96, Director of Oncology, Radiology and Neuroscience at OhioHealth. These presentations by four alumnae, entitled “Pearls of Wisdom,” will reflect the views of women from a variety of majors, career paths, and ages, and will feature the panelists’ personal lessons in leadership and the role Bethany played in their paths to success.

The Bethany alumnae presenting are:
Jill Kraus Bachinski — School Psychologist for Brooke County Schools, Wellsburg, West Virginia
Judy Flynn Caves — Guidance Counselor, Seton LaSalle High School, Mt. Lebanon, Pennsylvania
Liz Stevens Chewning — eCommerce Manager, Lexmark, Lexington, Kentucky
Lt. Commander Cara Halldin — Supervisory Team Leader and Epidemiologist for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia

Bethany students also will engage with alumnae in one-on-one “speed interviews” to expose students to the rigors of the interviewing process, and the importance of a personal key message in a fast-paced format. The Ann Wilkin Trombadore Women and Leadership Weekend will conclude with a networking reception for students and alumnae.

About Women and Leadership Weekend
The weekend is named in honor and memory of Ann Wilkin Trombadore, one of Bethany’s distinguished alumni and a lifelong passionate mentor of women. Mrs. Trombadore was a native of Wheeling and raised in Wellsburg, West Virginia. She graduated magna cum laude from Bethany with a degree in economics in 1951 and received her law degree from the University of Michigan in 1954. She was an active member of the Bethany College Board of Trustees for more than two decades and was the recipient of the Distinguished Service to Alma Mater award in 1996. She was made an Emeritus Life Trustee following the 1998-99 academic year.

The educational weekend has been made possible by the leadership and generosity of Bethany College Trustee and alumna Scarlett Foster ’79, retired Corporate Officer and Vice President of Investor Relations at Monsanto Company.

About Bethany College
Bethany College, founded in 1840, is the oldest private college in West Virginia. The Bethany experience focuses on academic excellence in the area of liberal arts and prepares students for a lifetime of work and a life of significance.