2025 Program Book (draft) by Jackie Snider

Program Overview

Schedule

9:00AM Registration & Mingling/ Professional Clothing Swap Opens

Engage!

9:30AM Welcome and Land Acknowledgement

9:45AM Workshop – From Overloaded to Balanced: Personal Strategy 101

1 0:15AM Workshop - The Human Side of Change: Building Skills to More Effectively Navigate Change & Transition Empower!

10:45AM Keynote - Resilience: You Can Do Hard Things Lunch

1:00PM Message from UCSB Chancellor Henry T. Yang

1:15PM Unsung Hero/ine Awards & Book Grant Award

1:30PM Self-Defense Workshop

Encourage!

2:00PM Workshop – Writing Through: Community-based Reflection and Professional Resilience

2:30PM Workshop - Workshop: Cultivating SelfPreservation & the Safeguarding of Others During Traumatic Times through Self-Compassion & Parts Work

3:00PM Closing Remarks

Join us for a casual post-conference gathering at , from 3:15pm - 5:00pm

Sincerely,

Samantha Oglesby 2024-25 President

Workshop

Workshop - 9:45AM

From Overloaded to Balanced: Personal Strategy 101

This workshop is designed to help participants reclaim their time, establish healthy boundaries, and develop strategies to say “yes” only to opportunities that align with their goals. Participants will learn practical tools to regain control over their schedules, improve decision-making, and reduce stress by prioritizing what truly matters.

Learning Objectives:

• Help participants gain a sense of control over their time and commitments.

• Equip individuals with strategies to respond thoughtfully to requests and opportunities.

• Foster curiosity about incoming requests, encouraging thoughtful decision-making rather than automatic agreement.

• Introduce the Troika method for peer advice and support.

About the presenters:

Jen Johansen joined UC Santa Barbara as a staff member in 2010 after earning her degree at UCSB. Her 14 years on campus include experience in academic personnel, event management, and communications management. She earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt in 2022 and she enjoys applying her problem solving skills to help others on campus with operational excellence, process improvement, and systems thinking.

Katie Mankins brings over 25 years of management and technical experience to her role as Director for Process Management in the Office of the CIO at UCSB. She earned her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt in 2019 and her Black Belt in 2023. She loves engaging people across campus to find common solutions, reduce administrative hassle, and improve the work we do on campus.

Workshop - 10:15AM

The Human Side of Change: Building Skills to More Effectively Navigate Change & Transition

In this workshop, we'll explore the Bridges Transition Model and how to more effectively manage change for ourselves and others. We'll explore the differences between change and transition, common emotional responses to change, and strategies for navigating transition.

About the presenter:

Heather A. Heyerdahl Director of Training and Organizational Development

Globetrotter, wanderluster, wannabe digital nomad. Heather has created an intention of inviting disruption into her life to go against the grain and discover what's possible. She's an explorer, an adventurer, a calculated risk-taker, and most importantly a learner. Heather has always been passionate about discovering new things, and helping others do the same. Over the course of her life and 20+ years in the "professional workforce", Heather has learned new languages, immersed herself in new cultures (4 states, 8 workplaces, and nearly 40 countries), mastered the art of solo travel, and bolstered her lessthan-perfect running skills to complete a triathlon. She has taught children to swim; families to believe survivors of sexual assault; volunteers to support cancer patients; employees to master skills in accounting, software, real estate, customer service, sales, and coaching (to name a few), and organizations to embrace continuous improvement and innovation. She is a firm believer in Tolkein's words, "Not all those who wander are lost", and is always looking forward to what lies around the next corner.

Engage

Keynote Speaker

Keynote Speaker - 10:45AM

Resilience: You can do hard things

“It is hard to fail, but it is worse never to have tried to succeed” Theodore Roosevelt. People with a growth mindset are resilient individuals who tend to take on new challenges, leading them down the path of growth. It is critical to note that the mindset adopted by individuals helps shape how they respond to failures, setbacks, and stress. This workshop will assist individuals to build their resilience coping skills by adopting a growth mindset to embrace challenges, become less afraid to fail, and more likely to put in consistent effort to succeed or improve.

About the presenter:

Pati Montojo, Ph.D.

Pati earned her B.A. in Psychology from San Diego State University, M.A. in Counseling Psychology from Santa Clara University, and Ph.D. in Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology from UCSB. Pati is a licensed bilingual Spanish-speaking Latina psychologist in California. She was a lecturer and clinical supervisor at Palo Alto University from 2015-2017. In 2018, she returned to UCSB as a licensed psychologist in ASAP, and from 2019-2024, Pati was the Manager of ASAP before being hired as an Associate Ombuds. Pati is a 2023-2025 UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center Bridging Differences in Higher Education Learning Fellow.

Workshops

Self-Defense Workshop - 1:30PM

Defense Workshop

805 Defense is a woman owned and operated mobile self-defense training company providing self-protection and defense instruction to individuals, groups and businesses. 805 Defense does not function as your typical martial arts studio or membership program. Instead, we offer single seminars and short term packages tailored to your needs. Our reality based training experience teaches critical thinking and empowers students in taking ownership of the situation through awareness, defense techniques and effective striking.

About the presenter:

Amber Paresa is the owner and lead trainer of 805 Defense. She teaches the self-defense course at the UCSB Recreation Department. Amber has a first degree black belt in Krav Maga as well as experience in Boxing, Kickboxing, Brazilian Jiu- Jitsu and Kali/Eskrima.

Workshops

Workshop - 2:00PM

Writing Through: Community-based Reflection and Professional Resilience

In this interactive workshop, participants will explore how writing practices within professional communities build resilience. Drawing from National Writing Project principles, this workshop demonstrates how reflective writing helps professionals process challenges, recognize growth, and sustain practice. Through guided writing prompts and partner sharing, participants will experience firsthand how community-based reflection creates personal renewal and collective wisdom. Participants will leave with practical strategies for implementing writing as a resilience-building practice in their professional context. Join us to discover how writing together transforms individual struggles into shared strength and sustainable practice.

About the presenter:

Camille Despain, M.Ed.

Camille Despain is Associate Director of the South Coast Writing Project, where she engages educators as change makers through collaborative writing communities. With over twenty years of experience in K-12 classrooms, she empowers teachers to advocate for themselves and their students through purposeful writing practices. Her leadership in National Writing Project initiatives encourages resilience in educational settings, while her cross-disciplinary partnerships reflect her commitment to building sustainable professional networks.

South Coast Writing Project (SCWriP) is affiliated with the California Writing Project (CWP) and the National Writing Project (NWP) and is located at the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education.

Workshop

Workshop - 2:30PM

Cultivating Self-Preservation & the Safeguarding of Others During Traumatic Times through Self-Compassion & Parts Work

Are you feeling lost on how to take care of yourself and others during these challenging times? Do you find you are overly critical of yourself and feel like you should be doing more? In this workshop, we will take a look at how you can utilize self-compassion and employ the therapeutic framework of parts work as tools to empower and sustain yourself and others. You will leave this workshop with tangible ways to cultivate expansive care and move through the ebbs & flows of life. Self-compassion & parts work skills will be taught via intersectional & trauma-informed lenses.

About the presenter:

Lex Brand, MS, LMFT (she/her, UCSB Alumni ’13) is a licensed psychotherapist and Assistant Director of Student Support & Advocacy at UCSB’s Resource Center for Sexual & Gender Diversity (RCSGD). As a therapist, Lex has specialized in intersectional trauma recovery for women & LGBTQ+ communities. She has formal training in Internal Family Systems (parts work), mindfulness meditation, and sexual assault & intimate partner violence recovery. In addition, Lex recently completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher Training. Lex full heartedly believes in the expansive power of mindful self-compassion as a tool to honor and aid ourselves and others during these troubling times.

Awards

2024 Unsung Hero/ines

A principal goal of the Professional Women’s Association is to develop awareness throughout the campus community of individual contributions to the mission of UCSB. With this goal in mind we celebrate and recognize those who consistently make our campus a better place. Unsung Hero/ines share a dedicated commitment to the mission of UCSB, volunteer outside their departments and pour energy into their position.

Awards

The PWA Legacy & Barbara S. Uehling Book Grant

PWA awards a limited number of $300 book grants to current UCSB re-entry/non-traditional students who may face unique challenges in completing their degrees. Non-traditional students include undergraduates over 24 and graduate students over 29 years old; re-entry students; student veterans; students who are married or in a domestic partnership; and students who are parents or have dependents.

Raffle Prize DonorsBARBARA S. UEHLING CHARLTON, PHD (JUNE 12, 1932 – JANUARY 2, 2020)

As the first and only female Chancellor of UCSB, Barbara encouraged our founding members to establish PWA as a resource for professional women on campus.

“Throughout her career, Barbara was a passionate advocate for the advancement of higher education and in particular promoting educational opportunities for women and minorities,” according to her obituary. We are proud to honor her legacy by awarding the PWA Legacy & Babara S. Uehling Book Grant.

PWA Committee

2024 - 2025 PWA Steering Committee

PRESIDENT Samantha Oglesby

Interdisciplinary Humanities Center

TREASURER

Elizabeth Carrillo Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

The Gevirtz School of Education

VICE PRESIDENT

Abbey Fragosa The Club and Guest House

BOOK CLUB CHAIR Yasmin Gutierrez Educational Opportunity Program

LIAISON TO INSTITUIONAL ADVANCEMENT

Liz Holohan Development

SECRETARY

Whitney Ater

Spanish & Portuguese

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT CHAIR

Kelly Almeida Linguistics & Philosophy

Past Presidents

1993 - 1994: Micael Kemp & Martie Levy

1994 - 1995: Sandy DeRousse & Margaret Weeks

1995 - 1996: De Acker & Pat Sheppard

1996 - 1997: Jan Smith & Christine Van Gieson

1997 - 1998: Sonia Johnson & Gwen Kuhns

1998 - 1999: Yonie Harris & Ginny Johns

1999-2000: Gina Funderburgh & Gail Johnson

2000-2001: Pam Allen & John Berberet

2001-2002: Amy Jacobs & Candace Stevenson

2002-2003: Lisa Oshins & Carol Wimoth (Wyzinski)

2003-2004: Celcilia Becerra & Carolyn Buford

2004-2005: Lupe Navarro-Garcia & Kim Equino

2005-2006:

2006-2007: Kori Soltz & Elizabeth Yossem-Guy

2007-2008: Shubra Agarwal & Sandra Camp

2008-2009: Milinda Cuellar & Anna E. Morales-Castañeda

2009-2010: Katya Armistead & Gina Gonzales

2010- 2011:

2011 - 2012: Kelly Erland & Margaret McMurtrey

2012 - 2013: Kristin Van Ramshorst

2013 - 2014: Keri Bradford & Britney Craighead

2014 - 2015: Nancy Chudy & Angelica Diaz

2015 - 2016: Lia Cabello

2016 - 2017: Gabrielle Dunne & Roxanna Van Norman

2017 - 2018: Kelly Walsh & Briana Muñoz-Flores

2018 - 2019: Sarah Koepke & Alexis Wright

2019 - 2020: Liz Holohan

2020 - 2021: Breanna Barak

2021 - 2022: Adriana Pérez

2022 - 2023: Whitney Ater

2023 - 2024: Whitney Ater & Samantha Oglesby

Engage • Empower • Encourage

Mission & History

Mission

The purpose of the Professional Women’s Association (PWA) is to develop awareness among faculty, staff and their campus constituencies of the contributions of women to the mission of UCSB; to provide activities and support other campus constituencies that contribute to the advancement of women at UCSB; to serve as a networking and communications channel among women employees at UCSB; and to provide a forum to influence decisions on campus and community issues that affect women at UCSB.

History

The Professional Women’s Association was formed by a group of remarkable women at UCSB in January of 1993. The first elections were held in 1993 with our first Co-Presidents Micael Kemp and Martie Levy. Our Founders are Christina LaVino, Martie Levy, Carol Parsons, Margie Weeks, Jody Kaufman, Louise Moore, Christine Bendele, and Melba Ortiz.

Since 1993 we have developed many notable programs, events, and services. The focus of these offerings is to bring awareness of the contributions of women to the mission of UCSB, to support the advancement of women at UCSB, to serve as a networking channel, and to provide forums to influence issues that effect women at UCSB.

PWA would like to thank the following sponsors for their gracious donation to the conference.