Keynote speaker Nina Lederman ’81, president of Joe Roth TV,
the newly formed production company

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass.--On Saturday, February 18, Mount Holyoke will host more than 400 women undergraduates from 30 liberal arts colleges and 20 universities in New England and the Northeast at a conference focused on educating undergraduate women about opportunities for professional leadership and career success in various fields, including law, public policy, and government; not-for-profits; consulting; media and film; and science and technology. The event is being organized by the Lyons Network, an organization of women professionals and students founded at Mount Holyoke College and dedicated to advancing the opportunities for women’s leadership and career success across different industries.

The conference will feature Nina Lederman ’81, president of Joe Roth TV, the newly formed TV production company, as a keynote speaker. The conference’s panels, which will focus on industry overviews, career paths, and advice on entering a field through internships or full-time work, will cover a range of disciplines, including law and social change; science and technology; medicine and the search for the cure; management and consulting; marketing; entertainment industry; politics and government; and pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. Panelists include Cynthia K. Shaw, Counsel, Senate Indian Affairs Committee; Naomi M. Barry-Perez, Chief of Office of Enforcement, United States Department of Labor Civil Rights Center; Susan J. Koch, Senior Advisor of the Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security; Ruth Ernst, Assistant Counsel in the Senate; and Barbara Thalenfeld, VP of Corporate Development and Clinical Affairs for Enzo.

Undergraduate women will have the opportunity to meet, learn from, get job and internship ideas, network with, and find mentors among successful professionals. The day will include networking receptions with speakers and company representatives and question-and-answer sessions. The platinum sponsor of the conference is MSN Spaces.

The conference is open to undergraduate women only. Admission is $15 for Five College Students, $10 for Mount Holyoke College Students hosting a non-Five College student, and $20 for non-Five College students. For more information about the conference, visit www.lyonsleadership.com.

Founded in 1999, the Lyons Network spearheads initiatives and provides programs designed to enhance women’s grasp and understanding of the dynamics of leadership and success in various industries and professions and to expand the opportunities available to women across different fields. The network puts on conferences, speaker series, talks, and workshops across different fields and industries. For a list of this year’s conferences and for more information on the Lyons Network, visit www.lyonsnetwork.org.

Members of the media interested in attending the conference should contact Irina Liberman, (518) 332-5666, iiliberm@mtholyoke.edu.