Women’s Power Panel
Last updated: Wednesday, March 20, 2024 at 3:38 PM
Bucks County Community College celebrates Women’s History Month with third annual Women’s Power Panel at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, March 28 in Newtown and online
In honor or Women’s History Month, Bucks County Community College presents “Women’s Power Panel: Breaking Barriers” at 12:30 p.m., Thursday, March 28, at the Newtown Campus and online.
The panel discussion features three remarkable women and a moderator who will discuss this year’s national theme, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.”
Moderated by Erica Waller-Hill, an award-winning author, educator, and motivational speaker, the panelists are:
- Elizabeth (Liz) Ellis – the first female instructional equipment specialist at Bucks County Community College’s Public Safety Training Center (PSTC), one of the first female career firefighters in Bucks County, and the second female fire chief at the Dow facility in Bristol-Croydon. Ellis has also traveled throughout the U.S., Japan, and Korea as a public safety instructor. She is currently assistant director of certification and curriculum at the PSTC.
- Dr. Vail Garvin – the first female CEO of a large hospital, former top executive at a large health-insurance company, and former leader of a 1,500-member chamber of commerce. For more than 20 years, Garvin was president and CEO of the Central Bucks Chamber of Commerce and is currently senior advisor to the Bucks County Herald Foundation.
- Barbara Simmons – mediator, facilitator, and educator, who served as Executive Director of The Peace Center for more than 30 years. Simmons created hundreds of programs to address conflict, violence, racism, and bigotry in more than 300 schools, businesses, and communities in the tri-state region.
Waller-Hill will lead the discussion as moderator. She is the CEO and founder of Destined for a Dream Foundation and Speak Life LLC, and author of It’s Bigger Than Me: Conversations of Empowerment Through the Eyes of a Conscious Educator. Waller-Hill has served more than 45,000 students, schools, community centers, and churches through her foundation, and is currently completing her doctorate at Gwynedd Mercy University.
The event will also feature information tables staffed by representatives from A Women’s Place and the Bucks County League of Women Voters.
“Women’s Power Panel: Breaking Barriers” takes place at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 28, in the Library Learning Studio, located in the Bucks County Community College Library at 275 Swamp Rd., Newtown, Pa., 18940. Admission and parking are free.
The panel discussion can also be viewed live online. Register for the Zoom session.
The Women’s History Month event is sponsored by DEI Programs in the College’s Office of External Affairs. To learn more, contact Jean Dolan at jean.dolan@bucks.edu or 215-968-8094.