Thursday Jun 18, 2020
Thursday, June 18 Webinar Members: $20
Brianna EltzrothSan Diego Women Connect - The Power of Pivoting
The Power of Pivoting
Every one of us at some point will find ourselves pivoting throughout our lives, career, relationships, etc. We grow one pivot at a time and how we handle change will oftentimes determine our failure or success.
Join us as we hear incredible stories of four women that have faced adversity and pivoted many times throughout their lives to become the successful women they are today.
Panelists
Erica Alfaro
Erica Alfaro was born in Fresno, CA, but moved and grew up in Tijuana Mexico. Her parents never had the opportunity to go to school, didn’t know how to read or write but knew the importance of a good education. At 13 years, Erica's family moved to Oceanside and lived in a small two-bedroom apartment with another family in a community with gang activity and poverty. Teenage pregnancy was common, and at 15 Erica found herself pregnant. She dropped out of High School, moved to Fresno with her son’s father and lived with domestic abuse for many years including having to sleep outside with her 9-month-old child.
In the midst of despair, she remembered when she was 13, her mother took her to work with her in the tomato fields during summer vacations. When she told her mom she was tired, her mom’s response was, “This is our life, the only people that have good lives are the ones that have a good education” That is when Erica realized she must make the change and go back to school.
In 2019, Erica received a M.A degree in Education from San Diego State University. To honor her parent's sacrifices of coming to this country to give her a better life she had her graduation pictures in the field where they worked long hours. Those pictures went viral and her story was shared around the world. A movie is currently being made about her story.
Captain Emily A. Cathey
A native of Statesville, North Carolina, Captain Emily Cathey is a 1999 graduate of the United States Naval Academy and has served in a variety of sea and shore commands.
Cathey’s sea duty assignments include duty on cruisers, carriers, destroyers, patrol boats and littoral combat ships. She is respected by many for being the first female commanding officer aboard USS Independence.
At the encouragement of her mother, Emily went into the academy because she told her that everyone received the same pay, regardless of gender. After attending an all girl Boarding school Emily had to chose between a regular college experience or the Naval Academy She grew up in a family of public servants.
Emily has Sailed around the world - from San Diego to Mumbai, India; from Norfolk to North Arabian Sea; in the Arabian Gulf; through both Panama and Suez Canals; down and around South America. She is also a Mom, Wife, Sister and Daughter.
Alicia Gwynn
Alicia Gwynn, wife of baseball great and Hall of Famer, Tony Gwynn, is no stranger to community building, philanthropy and empowerment. She’s carrying on Tony’s legacy by continuing the work that was important to both of them while he was alive, empowering young people to do their best and seek opportunities to grow and become better people.
Praised as one of San Diego's leading ladies, Dr. Alicia Gwynn, long-standing business owner & philanthropist, community builder, and now recording artist, with the recent release of her new CD, I Am Alicia Gwynn, is blazing a trail of renewed hope, faith, and courage through her music and life story.
Alicia managed her daughters singing career and is now pursuing her own dreams with her own inspirational music. In addition to touring with her music, Alicia has launched her own wine called “Lish”. (Pronounced Leesh) A Nickname Tony referred to her by.
She maintains a robust portfolio as President/CEO of Gwynndustries, Inc., a full-service management company, President/CEO for Gwynn Foods, President/CEO for Gwynn Sports, and President of the Tony and Alicia Gwynn Foundation, a charity organization dedicated to bettering the lives of disadvantaged youth.
Sarah Hassaine
Sarah was born in North Africa in Algiers, Algeria and grew up in San Diego. Her summers were spent back in Algeria on the Mediterranean and the travel back and forth at such a young age gave Sarah a global perspective. With her command of both Arabic and French, she gravitated towards international development work. Her first job out of undergrad was working in refugee camps in Lebanon conducting socio-economic living assessments of thousands of Palestinians. After one year of research and advocacy, Sarah moved to Washington DC where she spent 7.5 years in government consulting, diplomacy and international development.
Sarah’s marriage took her to Saudi Arabia in 2013 where she assumed a Director role of an organization focusing on building the skill sets of expatriate women living in the capital Riyadh. Amidst her adjustment to living in one of the conservative cities in the world, she ended up in the hospital sick and sent back to San Diego to recuperate. While away, her husband divorced her behind her back and Sarah was left penny-less, homeless, and identity-less. At the age of 30, Sarah had lost all sense of direction, identity, understanding and purpose. But it was an opportunity to rebuild and rebrand and dig deep into who she was and what she really wanted to do. “The world is your oyster and the sky is the limit,” are the words her mother whispered in her ears daily.
In less than a year, Sarah had moved to Seattle to work at Amazon and then found her way back to San Diego for the first time after 12 years of being away to accept a role with Qualcomm’s Global Inclusion and Diversity team leading engagement efforts. Today, she is a strong advocate for refugees in San Diego and volunteers with different organizations, including Teach and Learn Literacy and the San Diego Tech Women Summit. She also advises and consults with many other national and local nonprofits.
Lee Wills - Moderator
Sony Electronics, Inc.
Lee is a values centered Senior Human Resources Leader with expertise in Diversity/Inclusion, Employee Relations &Talent Acquisition, with budget responsibility at both global and FORTUNE 500 technology companies, Intel, Qualcomm and Sony. Respected for creating mission focused strategies and optimizing resources. Strong belief in the power of technology to positively change lives and passionate about connecting business and community.
Date and Time
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM PDT
11 am - 12:30 pmLocation
Link will be sent to attendees by June 18Fees/Admission
Non-Members: $29
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