The Virginia Tech Alumni Association will host host its bi-annual Women’s Weekend at Virginia Tech July 14-16.

The event, which will be held at The Inn at Virginia Tech, is designed as an engagement opportunity for alumnae and other Hokie women to strengthen bonds to Virginia Tech and each other. The weekend will be a chance to explore campus and make connections with a community of Hokie women.

The event kicks off Friday, July 14 with a nature walk hosted by John Peterson, laboratory specialist advanced for the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. Guests will learn about Appalachian history, geology, and more.

World-renowned artist P. Buckley Moss will also host an open house at her gallery Friday.

A series of guest speakers and panels are slated for Saturday, July 15, including a panel discussion with:

  • Moderator Deseria Creighton-Barney ’87, Communication
    Vice President, Virginia Tech Alumni Association

  • Kimberly Davis-Riffe ’91, Accounting
    Partner, Mortgage and Consumer Lending Advisory, KPMG

  • Traci DeShazor ’07, International Studies & Political Science
    Deputy Secretary of the Commonwealth of Virginia

  • Jean Foody Hall ’85, Chemical Engineering
    Vice President for Human Resources in the Performance and Protective Fabrics Division of Milliken

  • Laura Sands, Ph.D.,  M.A.,  B.A. University of California, Berkeley
    Professor of Gerontology

  • Lachelle Waller ‘10 PhD, Genetics, Bioinformatics, Computational  Biology Director of Undergraduate Advising and Research at Virginia Commonwealth University

There will also be a series of HokieTalks by:

  • Katrina M. Powell, Center for Rhetoric in Society and Ph.D. Program in Rhetoric and Writing director on VT Stories

  • Lee Hawthorne, Division of Student Affairs chief of staff, on IWILL

  • Shekila Melchoir, student in the counselor education and supervision Ph.D. program, on the Liberation in Process: Developing a Social Justice Identity

  • Sally Morton, College of Science dean

There will also be two breakout sessions on mindfulness and communicating across generations, and opportunities for networking and socializing.

Event sponsor Carilion Wellness will also be on site from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday to provide free services for those in attendance. Participants can receive a free chair massage from a Carilion certified massage therapist and free blood pressure screenings.

The weekend will conclude Sunday, July 16 with a session by Rosemary Blieszner, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences and distinguished alumni professor, called “The Importance of Friendship,” and a brunch hosted by President Tim Sands and Dr. Laura Sands.

For more information, please visit the Women's Weekend website or contact Debbie Day at 540-231-6285 or hokie@vt.edu or Kathleen Green Malcolm at 540-231-4853 or kagreen3@vt.edu.

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