Women's Leadership Round Table 2018

3RD ANNUAL WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP ROUND TABLE BREAKFAST OCTOBER 11, 2018 Sponsored by

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C O N T E N T S # IAMWOMAN................................................. 5

PUBLISHER Hank Vander Veen EDITOR

ADRENNA ALKHAS............................................ 6

Kristina H. Hacker ART DIRECTOR Harold L. George

RAPUNZEL AMADOR-LEWIS................................ 7

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Sharon Hoffman

LANI DICKINSON.............................................. 8

ADVERTISING Beth Flanagan Charles Webber

JODIE ESTARZIAU............................................... 9

WRITERS AND PHOTOGRAPHERS Kristina Hacker Angelina Martin

WHERE WE STAND......................................... 10 To advertise in the next special section contact the advertising department at (209) 634-9141.

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#IamWoman

This is the third year that I have moderated the Women’s Leadership Round Table event and I couldn’t be more excited! This year, we changed the name from Turlock to 209 Women’s Leadership Round Table in an effort to expand the event’s reach and also to bring in our MNC readers (Ceres Courier, Oakdale Leader, Escalon Times, Riverbank News, Manteca Bulletin, Ripon Bulletin and the Turlock Journal), our 209 Magazine audience and followers of our weekly video series, Studio209. There are many amazing women leaders in the 209

discussion, I will be asking the panelists to reflect on how their perceptions of themselves over the years impacted their careers and personal lives. It’s my philosophy that having faith in yourself is the first and most important characteristic of leadership. There is, however, also times when women need to let go of an expectation they have put on themselves. There is only one Wonder Woman and she doesn’t live in the 209!

I will also ask the panelists to talk about how their colleagues and/or society as a whole have responded to them as women leaders and how that may have affected their self-perception and their leadership style. Women continue to be the minority when it

KRISTINA HACKER EDITOR

area and we hope to highlight as many as we can in the years to come.

The theme of this year’s Women’s Leadership Round Table event is “I am Woman.” While only three words, what this phrase encompasses is the heart of empowerment.

During the round table

comes to holding leadership positions in most professions.

The event will start with a buffet breakfast, with beverages served by members of Turlock Firefighters Local #2434, who will be accepting “tips” for their breast cancer research fundraising efforts.

The firefighters will also be selling their signature pink t-shirts to benefit the Bill and Elsie Ahlem Cancer Endowment.

A portion of the proceeds from the event’s ticket sales will go to the MNC women’s scholarship fund and be awarded to a local student in spring 2019.

There are still table sponsorships and individual tickets available for the event. To reserve tickets, email khacker@209magazine.com or call 209-634-9141.

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PROFILE

Adrenna Alkhas Adrenna Alkhas is the Marketing and Communications Director for the Stanislaus County Fair, a lecturer at Modesto Junior College and an author.

She created the award winning empowHER Lounge at the Stanislaus County Fair, which is geared towards inspiring young girls to be great leaders in their communities. The Lounge gives girls the confidence to be themselves through workshops and giving them the skills needed to empower others as much as empowering themselves.

Recently, Alkhas released a book titled “emPOWher” in which she uses her own experience working in corporate America to walk girls through the dos and don’ts of handling a toxic workplace environment, with chapter titles like “The Villainous Authority,” “Be Empowered” and “The Battlefield.” Alkhas touches on other topics in her book that are

important to women in the workplace, like the need for longer maternity leave, office gossip and difficult decisions that often come with being a driven female, like deciding whether or not to have children and how it will affect their goals.

Alkhas graduated with her Master’s in Communications in 2004 and received a Doctorate in Educational Leadership in 2011.

Her marketing strategies and tactics have received several recognitions, the most recent being named Publicist of the Year by PR News Alkhas is married and has three children. She is a sucker for pop culture and loves the superhero genre along with watching Bravo TV. When she isn't reading, writing or shuttling her children around, she is obsessed with “Game of Thrones,” “Outlander” series, and occasionally watching “Pride and Prejudice” over again.

Recently, Alkhas released a book titled “emPOWher” in which she uses her own experience working in corporate America . . .

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PROFILE

Rapunzel Amador-Lewis Rapunzel Amador-Lewis is the President of Amador Lewis, Inc., the first woman-owned structural engineering firm in many counties.

A licensed Civil Engineer in California and 10 other states, Amador-Lewis has engineered thousands of structures since her career began in Turlock in 1994.

She was the first woman (75th) President of the Modesto Engineers Club and the youngest recipient of the Engineer Of The Year Award by the San Joaquin Engineers Council.

She was a recipient of the Outstanding Women of Stanislaus County awarded by the Stanislaus County Commission for Women.

Amador-Lewis serves as a faculty member at Stanislaus State, where she has taught courses in Mathematics, Operations Management, Accounting and Finance.

Born in the Philippines, she immigrated to the United States with her family when she was 13.

With a Bachelor of Science degree in Architectural Engineering from the College of Architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and an MBA from Stanislaus State, she began her career working for VP Buildings in Turlock. She joined other engineering firms in Modesto, prior

to starting her own practice in 2005.

One of her favorite projects involved a feasibility analysis to retrofit the abandoned 19-story historic “Jefferson Hotel” built in 1927 in Birmingham, Alabama.

Amador-Lewis shares her love for engineering by developing curriculum and delivering instructions in STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) youth programs at Stanislaus State and the local community. This year, she delivered seven weeks of STEAM and Robotics Camps in throughout the Central Valley. To get young minds excited about engineering, she shares her project where she engineered a 25-foot high gigantic head of Eddie Murphy on a hydraulic lift, as he occupied the “head” (climbed out of the head’s ear), as it traveled on a moving truck across the country from Hollywood to New York during the premier of his movie “Meet Dave.”

She has been invited to speak at many organizations and engineering conferences, such as Society of Women Engineers, to inspire young girls to pursue STEAM careers. She is an invited speaker at the upcoming annual 2018 California STEAM Symposium to be held in

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Long Beach on Oct. 28-29, where she plans to share a lesson plan with attending educators, on designing a portable water purification device.

A graduate of Leadership Turlock, Amador-Lewis is also a Senior Fellow of the American Leadership Forum – Great Valley Chapter. She served on the Board of Directors of the Modesto Engineers Club, Habitat For Humanity, Modesto Rotary, San Joaquin Engineers Council and the National Future City Competition.

Amador-Lewis has received a number of vocational, leadership

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and service awards from Rotary International and has led humanitarian projects in seven continents. Her most distinguished projects involved construction of water systems that deliver potable water to tens of thousands of people in 10 remote communities in her birth town in the Philippines.

She belongs to a family of five black belts and has earned over 30 championship titles (including Worlds) with over 200 tournament event winnings in Taekwondo, Creative and Extreme Martial Arts.

PROFILE

Lani Dickinson Lani Dickinson is an energetic and visionary leader with 22-plus years of highly successful leadership experience in both the corporate and entrepreneurial setting.

Dickinson currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Emanuel Medical Center in Turlock. She has served in many leadership roles for Tenet. Most recently, she was the Western Region Chief Nursing Executive supporting 22 Tenet hospitals and related entities. Other executive positions Dickinson has held include Chief Operating Officer of Lakewood Regional and Chief Nursing Officer of Doctors Medical Center of Modesto.

Dickinson also served as Associate Administrator for Clinical Service Line Development, Director of Clinical Quality and Director of Patient Care Services for the cardiovascular service line. Her clinical practice background spans the Emergency Department, ICU and Progressive care units, as well

as Home Health and as a pharmacology instructor for local nursing programs.

Dickinson received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from California State UniversityStanislaus and a Master of Business Administration from the University of San Francisco School of Management. She is also certified in Lean Six Sigma through the Institute of Industrial Engineers. Dickinson has served on numerous community boards and raised funds for various youth and health related non-profit organizations.

She is certified in Neurolinguistics Programming as a Practitioner, Master Practitioner, Health Practitioner and as a Trainer. She is also the co-founder and owner of Core Transformations, a fitness studio in Modesto and the creator of online training programs and The DONE Method. She delivers powerful talks and trainings on leadership, health, wellness and fitness and personal development.

A visionary leader with 22-plus years of highly successful leadership experience in both the corporate and entrepreneurial setting.

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PROFILE

Jodie Estarziau Jodie Estarziau began her law enforcement career at 16, as a member of the Manteca Police Cadet Corps while attending Ripon High School. She has held various positions within the department, including Dispatcher, Community Services Officer and Police Officer.

She was a member of the hostage negotiation team, a field training officer and part of the Mounted Patrol (with her horse Stanley). In 2008, she was promoted to Sergeant and in 2011 she became the Administrative Sergeant. In 2016, she was promoted to Lieutenant over the Services Division. In February 2017, she again promoted Chief of Police.

Estarziau has an Associate of Science Degree in Administration of Justice from Modesto Junior College and a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Criminal Justice Management from Union Institute & University in Sacramento. She has attended numerous Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST), including the Police Academy Certificate, Basic, Intermediate, Advanced,

Supervisory and Executive level POST Certificates. She also attended the nine-month Supervisory Leadership Institute training through POST. Estarziau has been the City of Manteca Police Employee of the Quarter, Rotary Officer of the year in 2014, has served as the City of Manteca Police Department as the Public Information Officer, Citywide Safety Committee, Terrorism Liaison Officer, Crisis Response Team Leader, a Member of California Hostage Negotiators and an instructor in Emergency Vehicle Operations.

She is an active board member for the Second Harvest Food Bank and member of the United Way Manteca/Lathrop/Escalon & Ripon Community Council of San Joaquin County and the Second Harvest Food Bank.

Estarziau is married to Jeremy, her husband of 11 years. They have two children, Brandon 10, and Brooke 7. She enjoys spending time with family and friends, travelling, reading and horseback riding.

Jodie Estarziau began her law enforcement career at 16, as a member of the Manteca Police Cadet Corps while attending Ripon High School.

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Where We Stand • Women in California earn 90 percent of what men in the state earn.

• Men are 2.1 times more likely to work in STEM occupations than women.

• Women hold only 24.2% of seats in the California State Legislature.

• Only 13% of women make up the law enforcement workforce. Only 9.6% of women are in supervising positions and just 7% are in top positions.

• Healthcare has one of the lowest shares of female CEOs over the past decade, at just 1.6%.

• Millennial women experience depression 12.1 more days per year than Millennial men.

• Heart disease is the biggest killer of women in the United States. California ranks 22 of 51 with a mortality rate of 122.1 per 100,000.

• Approximately 30.9 percent of women in California have a bachelor’s degree or higher, an increase of about 6 percentage points since 2000.

Information courtesy of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research, the National Conference of State Legislatures, the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, the National Center for Women and Policing and PwC’s Strategy&.

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Government trailblazers inspire at 2017 Women’s Leadership Round Table since she was a woman, and she almost lost out on her title as public defender because no one believed she Women make up just a small would be able to go into the jails to do percentage of leaders in government, but the five panelists at the 2nd annual her job.

The other panelists also shared Women’s Leadership Round Table things that they have overcome as reminded the audience why that female leaders in government, like statistic needs to change, challenging when Olsen had to endure being those in attendance to make a called “kiddo,” by a male counterpart difference in their local communities. while serving on the Modesto City Panelists Ann Veneman, former Council, or when Ross had trouble director of UNICEF and the only being taken seriously as a woman woman to serve as United States working in the agricultural field.

Agriculture Secretary, current Working hard helped Ross to California Agriculture Secretary overcome gender-related obstacles, Karen Ross, State Water Resources she said.

Control Board member Dorene “What I learned very, very quickly D’Adamo and county supervisors is that I always studied hardest and Kristin Olsen (Stanislaus) and Leticia went into the room knowing more Perez (Kern) each chose a life of about whatever subject matter that public service and the unique was going to happen than anybody challenges it brings, and at the event, else, and then there was never a they shared with moderator and gender thing,” said Ross.

Journal editor Kristina Hacker exactly Perez had to overcome not only the what made them select a career in challenges that come with being a government. woman in government to land her role “…I would say I have public as Kern County Supervisor, but as a service in my DNA,” said Veneman.

Latina, she also faced additional “It’s been a great honor for me to have struggles. Today, Perez is the only so many different opportunities in my Latina woman elected to a county life, but I think that public service has supervising board in all nine San always been some of the most Joaquin Valley counties. rewarding work that I’ve done.”

The best advice she ever received, Veneman has been the first woman she said, was to always fight for the to serve in six different positions underdog. which she’s held, she said, and has “I asked ‘What can I do to be part had to deal with doubt and hesitancy of the policy process that intervenes and makes those possibilities a little from her peers. Colleagues assumed more diverse for people?’” said Perez. she was the department secretary

BY ANGELINA MARTIN TURLOCK JOURNAL

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FROM TOP: Ann Venemen and Karen Ross laugh after Ross cracks a joke during the 2017 Women’s Leadership Round Table discussion.

County supervisors Kristin Olsen (Stanislaus) and Leticia Perez (Kern) formed a new friendship thanks to the event, they said.

Dorene D’Adamo speaks about using her Valleycentric view while making decisions on the State Water Resource Control Board.

ANGELINA MARTIN/The Journal

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WILL HOST THE 3RD ANNUAL WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP ROUND TABLE BREAKFAST (FORMERLY THE TURLOCK WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP ROUND TABLE) ON

OCTOBER 11, 2018

2018 FEATURED PANELISTS

Rapunzel Amador Lewis

President and Principal Engineer of Amador Lewis Inc.

Lani Dickinson

CEO of Emanuel Medical Center

Jodie Estarziau City of Manteca Chief of Police

Don’t miss this chance to be inspired by women leaders in public safety, business, government and healthcare who embraced the roles they chose in life.

Doors will open at 7:30 a.m. for a buffet breakfast. The round table discussion will start at 8:30 a.m. The event will be held at Hilmar Cheese Company’s Visitor Center, 9001 Lander Ave., Hilmar.

Tickets are $20 each ($160 for table of eight).

To reserve tickets, email khacker@turlockjournal. com or call 209-634-9141. Proceeds of the ticket sales will go towards a 209 Magazine scholarship fund for women.

Sponsored by 2018 WOMEN’S 12

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Adrenna Alkhas

Stanislaus County Fair spokesperson and author of “empowHER”

THE TURLOCK FIREFIGHTERS LOCAL 2434 WILL ONCE AGAIN BE HELPING TO SERVE BREAKFAST FOR “TIPS” TO BENEFIT THE BILL AND ELSIE AHLEM CANCER ENDOWMENT. THE FIREFIGHTERS WILL ALSO BE SELLING THEIR SIGNATURE PINK T-SHIRTS FOR BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH.