Utah's first female lieutenant governor, Olene S. Walker, will keynote the College of Eastern Utah's 17th annual Women's Conference in Price, according to Sara Ewert, president of CEU's Campus Women Together.
The conference, titled "A Woman's Place," will be held in the Student Activity Center, beginning at 8:30 a.m., Friday. Participants and seminar leaders will discuss a variety of topics confronting women, including religion, legal issues, health and politics.Walker became Utah's lieutenant governor in 1993. From 1981-88, she served in the Utah House of Representatives and was elected majority whip for the Republican Party. She served as a director of the Salt Lake Educational Foundation and the Community Development Division of the Utah State Department of Community and Economic Development and as chairwoman of the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice and the Utah State Homeless Coordinating Committee.
Ewert added that the conference draws upon the collective talents of women's leaders from the Carbon County area to conduct the workshops. Price attorney Joane Pappas White will speak on "Legal Issues for Women," while Bonnie Cook, Castleview Hospital's nursing administrator, will discuss "Women's Health Issues of the '90s." "Educational and Political Opportunities for Women" will be the topic for University of Utah student and political activist Paige Petersen.
A panel of religious leaders will lead a discussion of "Women in Religion." Panel members include Sister Ellen, vice principal at Notre Dame Regional School in Price; Peri Sandoval, former minister for the Spanish Assembly of God; and the Rev. Caryl Marsh, rector of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Salt Lake City.
Besides the workshops and discussions, Nancy Takacs, an award-winning CEU English and creative writing instructor, will read original poetry. Her work has been widely published throughout the United States, and her many honors include the Nation/Discovery Award, the Utah Arts Council Writing Contest and the Plainsongs Award.
The conference is sponsored by CEU's Campus Women Together and the Carbon County Chamber of Commerce. Pre-registration is $16 per person or $20 the day of the conference. One hour of college credit is available for $10 extra.
For more information call Ewert at 637-2120, extension 667.