Empowering Women on International Womens Day
Author: Beck Harhai
Community Involvement
Published:
Wednesday, 08 Mar 2023
Sharing
Wednesday, March 8, is International Women’s Day, a day that celebrates the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women from around the world while calling for further acceleration of women’s equality.
On Friday, March 10, Junior Achievement of Western PA (JA) will host the second annual Empower Her Summit presented by the PPG Foundation. Like International Women’s Day, the Empower Her Summit aims to encourage and accelerate the next generation of female leaders by forging connections with inspiring women role models, influencers and business executives.
In celebration of International Women’s Day, we would like to introduce several of our inspiring speakers joining JA at the upcoming Empower Her Summit.
Image caption: Alicia Kozak
Keynote Speaker Alicia Kozak
2023 Empower Her Summit keynote speaker Alicia Kozak is an internationally acclaimed motivational speaker, advocate, Internet safety expert, and television personality who has inspired millions through her strength, spirit and story.
At age 13, Alicia became the first widely reported Internet-related child abduction victim. Following her miraculous rescue, Alicia has devoted her life to raising awareness of missing persons and protecting children against crime. Through her foundation The Alicia Project, she has advocated for Internet safety awareness, child safety litigation and prevention of sexual exploitation of children and adults. In 2016, Alicia’s motivating work led to the passage of Alicia’s Law, a national law that provides funding to the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force to dedicate time and resources to solving missing children’s cases.
Alicia has been featured on many national news networks, television shows and publications like the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Phil, Good Morning America, ABC, CNN, People’s Magazine, and many others. Her life, mission and passion prove to young females that people can rise above adversity and be more than their stories.
Speakers’ Corner: Her Story
In addition to our keynote speaker, other empowering women will speak as part of our Speakers’ Corner, a section of the Summit highlighting influential businesswomen and their journeys to success. Kirsten Bestor (WesBanco), Megan Chicone (State Farm), Angela Wheland (FedEx), and Ebiaye Okoro (Range Resources) will detail their stories, share advice, motivate participants, and prove that the glass ceiling can be broken.
Carlow University
Carlow University will also be speaking at the Summit with a segment focused on life beyond high school. Representatives from the University will provide advice and guidance to participants on the college admissions process, potential majors and career paths and the importance of planning for the future. As the host site of the Summit, participants will also be granted a glimpse into the college atmosphere and lifestyle while navigating the campus during the event.
These speakers are just a few of the amazing women who will be featured at the 2023 Summit. Thanks to the support of organizations like the PPG Foundation, Olympus Energy, TriState Capital Bank, Williams, Peoples Natural Gas, Range Resources, Citizens, Delta Airlines, WesBanco Bank, and FedEx Ground, Summit participants will have countless opportunities to build their networks, gain advice and forge connections with women role models.
Registration may be closed for the 2023 Summit but follow our social media channels for updates from this year’s event and additional female empowerment opportunities like our prestigious Intern to VP® program. Scholarships for 50 select participants are available thanks to Savvy Marketing Group and the Susan Broome Foundation.
Select a button below to see how you or your organization can get involved with Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania, Inc..
Donate Volunteer Request A Program