Conference helps unite women
BUTLER TWP — True to its name, the United Way of Butler County united 110 women Thursday during a daylong conference at Butler County Community College, which partnered in the event.
Titled Powerful Connection for Women in Butler County, the conference was hosted by Women United in Butler County, a United Way initiative that formed in January 2010.
The conference featured three morning speakers followed by afternoon breakout sessions that addressed topics like stress management, nutrition and networking.
“People are the key to your success,” said guest speaker Judy Brinkman, site manager of BASF Evans City. “I can't do it alone. There's no way any of us can do it alone.
“We all know about the good old boy network and how strong that is. Let's make the good old girl network just as strong,” Brinkman added.
One of few female site managers employed by the international chemical company, Brinkman — a chemical engineer — recounted anecdotes from her career and shared advice for success.
Brinkman was followed by Henry Sinopoli, a former public school administrator who works as a business coach and consultant and teaches at Waynesburg University and BC3.
Sinopoli also shared his strategies for success, discussing topics like communication, the ability to adapt, maximizing strengths and networking.
One of Sinopoli's “formulas for change” was D+V+F must be greater than R, which translates to “Dissatisfaction plus vision plus first steps must be greater than resistance to change.”
His mathematical approach was contrasted by that of keynote speaker Nancy Stampahar of Pittsburgh, life coach and author of the 2009 IPPY Award winning book “Peace, Love and Lemonade: A Recipe to Make Your Life Sweeter.”
Stampahar began by asking women to write down the phrase “I am in control of my life because I hold the power,” then built upon that concept with personal stories and words of encouragement.
Among Stampahar's examples was how she set a goal to appear on the Oprah Winfrey television show. Although not appearing as a guest, Stampahar was singled out as a member of the audience. Later, a video she made in her kitchen was aired as part of an “In Your OWN Words” interactive series on Oprah's network and website.Stampahar's message was well-received by attendees like Meredith Glendening, 26, a community relations representative at Lifesteps.“I enjoyed Nancy's presentation. It was a good ‘Rah rah. Go get ‘em. Go team' (program),” she said. “It was a good set of speakers. They complemented each other well.”Pauline “Polly” Wilbert, who works in the BC3 finance office, agreed.“It was very empowering,” Wilbert said. “On professional and personal levels. It was wonderful seeing so many women in our community interested in leadership, and it's a great opportunity to network.”Although many listed networking among their objectives, attendees like Leslie Savage of New Castle and Tracy Roethlein of Pittsburgh also earned professional development credits by attending.
Savage, an early intervention service coordinator at the Lawrence County Human Services center, said the professional development component deviated somewhat from previous credits, since the topics did not relate directly to working with children.“It's a nice opportunity,” said Savage, 36, noting the session topics held universal appeal to professionals.“These topics I'm interested in help me not only in work, but also in life,” agreed Roethlein, 44, an engineering program manager for NetApp in Cranberry Township.Sharon Standish, a member of Women United who co-chaired the event, said the event helps to fulfill the group's mission “to mobilize and empower women with diverse resources to collaborate and engage in changing community conditions.”As part of that goal, the group also is working with students in grades eight through 12, helping them to hone career path decisions through exposure to local industries.Women United in Butler County currently has 28 paid members and a distribution list of 50.Those interested in joining should call the United Way at 724-285-4883.
<br>
