Pepperdine University Celebrates Women’s History Month 2023

Throughout the month of March, Pepperdine will observe Women’s History Month with special events that celebrate women’s voices and honor their achievements. The theme for Women’s History Month 2023 is “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories.”

The United Nations celebrated its first official International Women’s Day on March 8, 1975, to coincide with its designation of 1975 as International Women’s Year in an effort to highlight the persistent problem of discrimination against women worldwide. After successful campaigning by many women’s organizations, including the National Women’s History Project (now the National Women’s History Alliance), President Jimmy Carter issued the first presidential proclamation declaring the week of March 8, 1980, as National Women’s History Week. On March 16, 1987, after further political action from women’s groups, President Ronald Reagan issued Presidential Proclamation 5619, designating March as Women’s History Month. 

Pepperdine’s celebration of Women’s History Month 2023 will include the following events:

Graduate School of Education and Psychology: Speaker Series and Student Panel—Elevating Voices
Friday, March 3, to Wednesday, March 29 | Virtual
The Center for Global Partnerships and Learning, in partnership with the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, is sponsoring multiple online events throughout Women’s History Month. Register to attend any of these virtual events. Speakers and topics include: 

• Friday, March 3, 6:30 PM: Suelen Schneider Demaria, “Women’s Empowerment and Wellness”
• Wednesday, March 8, 6:30 PM: Tissa Richards, “Learning and Practicing Resiliency: The Secret of Unshakable Leaders”
• Friday, March 10, 12:15 PM: Kayleigh Axtell, “Personal Development and Meditation Practice for Women”
• Friday, March 17, 6:30 PM: Student Panel, “Elevating Voices of Women from All Communities”
• Monday, March 20, 5:30 PM: Aasiyah Ghazi (EdD ’21), “Mindset and Impostorism: How to Use Your Thoughts to Overcome Impostor Syndrome”
• Thursday, March 23, 5 PM: Heather Backstrom (EdD ’10), “Amplify Your Authentic Talents and Expertise”
• Wednesday, March 29, 12 noon: Yas Djadali Hardaway, executive director of career services, “Creating Your Unique Career Story” 

Graziadio Business School: Celebrating International Women’s Day—Lead at the Highest Level
Wednesday, March 8 | 11 AM to 1 PM | Virtual
Graziadio’s Center for Women in Leadership is presenting a mini-conference in honor of International Women’s Day. Speakers will include business experts who support the promotion of diverse women at the highest levels, and topics will include the unique challenges facing working mothers and the strategies they use for success. Bernice Ledbetter, Graziadio’s dean of student and alumni affairs and founding director of the Center for Women in Leadership, along with student members of the Graziadio Women’s Business Association, will moderate discussions and presentations by prominent business professionals. The mini-conference is free.

Caruso School of Law: Reimagining Justice—American Bar Association (ABA) Day of Conversation 
Tuesday, March 14 | 12:40 to 1:30 PM | Caruso Classroom D
In honor of Women’s History Month, the School of Law will host the ABA Day of Conversation for its female community. This will be a time of dialogue among Caruso Law’s female faculty, staff, and students regarding the ABA Commission on Women in the Profession’s report, This Talk Isn’t Cheap: Women of Color and White Women Attorneys Find Common Ground, as well as thought-provoking additional resources. This event is designed for the law school’s female-identifying community. 

The Reimagining Justice Series is aimed at bringing together students, alumni, faculty, and staff to discuss timely justice issues. This series facilitates thoughtful discussion and exploration around what justice currently looks like in various areas and calls on us to imagine what justice can become in the future.

Graduate School of Education and Psychology: Margaret J. Weber Distinguished Lecture Series
Tuesday, March 14 | 5:30 to 7 PM | Room 203, West Los Angeles Graduate Campus and Virtual
The Center for Global Partnerships and Learning, in partnership with the Graduate School of Education and Psychology, is hosting keynote speaker Carmen Estrada Schaye (EdD ’95), who will talk about “The Role of Women in a Changing Society.” Estrada Schaye is a current member of the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board, and has served with the National Women’s Political Caucus for nearly 30 years, holding multiple leadership positions, including president of the California/South Bay caucus, vice president of education and training, and national recording secretary.

The Margaret J. Weber Distinguished Lecture Series welcomes respected thought leaders to speak on issues of key importance to developing intellectual and spiritual growth. Established in 2014 through an endowment given by alumni and friends to honor Dean Emeritus Margaret J. Weber, the lectures support the Graduate School of Education and Psychology’s mission to foster academic excellence, social purpose, meaningful service, and personal fulfillment.

School of Public Policy: A Conversation with Women Leaders in Local Government
Wednesday, March 22 | 12 to 1 PM | Virtual
In honor of Women’s History Month, the School of Public Policy’s Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership will bring together women with extensive experience in local and federal government service to share their career journeys, challenges, contributions, and wisdom. This free, virtual panel discussion will be moderated by Maureen Tobin, executive director of the Davenport Institute. Panelists will include Deborah Feng, former city manager of Cupertino, California, and former associate center director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Ames Research Center; Caitlin Jachimowicz, city treasurer of Morgan Hill, California, and director of the Santa Clara University School of Law’s Center for Social Justice and Public Service and its Public Interest JD program; Lydia Romero, city manager of Lemon Grove, California; and Megan Scheid, deputy city manager of Roseville, California.

For additional information about University events celebrating women’s accomplishments, please visit Pepperdine’s Women’s History Month website.