All genders invited to “Women in Communication” conference

Written by: Matthew Mesa/ Staff Writer

 

The fourth annual “Women in Communication: Shattering the Ceiling” conference at the Biscayne Bay Campus promises to be the biggest yet, featuring talks from leading professional female journalists working for major news companies such as CNN and E.W. Scripps and including a talk with University alumna and senior vice president of NBC Universal, Diane Festa.

The event will be held Thursday, April 4 and it will give students the opportunity to hear from leading professional female journalists about their experiences as women rising through the ranks in all areas of the Communication field including advertising, broadcasting, newspapers and public relations.

The keynote speaker for the morning session of the conference is Diane Festa, who is currently senior vice president of News Partnerships at NBCUniversal, New York. Festa is an FIU alumna. She graduated from the University with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism in 1983.

In the past, Festa covered major events worldwide including the civil wars in El Salvador and Nicaragua, and Russia’s economic transition following the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Ellen Weiss, vice president and Washington Bureau chief of the E.W. Scripps Company, a major American broadcasting company, is the keynote speaker for the afternoon session of the conference.

Weiss won her fourth Peabody award in 2015 for her work on the “Under the Radar” investigative series which exposed problems when convicted military sex offenders return to normal life.

In addition to these keynote speakers, other successful female journalists such as professional news reporters and editors will be hosting panels at the conference where they too will answer questions and offer tips to students looking to succeed in the Communications profession.

Francesca Bozza, a senior at the University majoring in Journalism, did not hear about the event until recently.

She told Student Media that she was excited to hear that professionals in the Communications field would be offering a glimpse into their daily life of a journalist. She said she hopes to find out what it’s really like to be a journalist as opposed to the typical reporter portrayed in most films or television shows.

“I’ve never really spoken to someone that’s in such a high position [in the Communications field] that knows what it’s really like,” said Bozza.

Daniela Benarroch, also in her senior year as a Journalism student, told Student Media that she is interested in seeing women talk about Journalism as a profession because it is empowering.

“It’s actually great to hear about why or how people decided to take the route through Journalism,” said Benarroch.

Dr. Lillian Lodge Kopenhaver, former dean of the University’s School of Journalism and Mass Communication and professor at the University, started holding the conference four years ago with the goal of helping students studying Communication succeed in their careers.

Last year’s event, “Women in Communication: Moving Ahead,” was also covered by Student Media. Kopehaver said that she expects this year’s event will be bigger than the previous years.

While the speakers at the event are all successful women in the Communication field and it is hosted by Kopenhaver’s Center for the Advancement of Women in Communication, Kopenhaver told Student Media that the event is open to people of every gender and background, and the topics it covers apply to anyone aspiring to succeed in the Communications industry.

“The things [the speakers] are talking about are leadership, and consequently it doesn’t matter whether you’re a man or a woman… they’re talking about how you become a leader, how you can move up in your career, and how you can achieve your dreams in the Communications profession,” said Kopenhaver.

“Women in Communication: Shattering the Ceiling” is a free event that is open to the public. Students can find more information and register at Carta.fiu.edu. http://carta.fiu.edu/kopenhavercenter/2019-conference-women-in-communication-shattering-the-ceiling/.

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