Pamela Atkinson: Keynote Speaker at SUU's 2004 Women's Conference

Published: February 03, 2004 | Author: Renee Ballenger | Read Time: 2 minutes

SUU Women's Conference 2004 will take place February 17-19. Over these three days, all attendees will have the opportunity to learn from, and explore with other women, and colleagues, the fascinating implications within a myriad of subjects affecting women. Fifty-minute sessions will cover Women in History, Literature, the Community, Politics, the Arts and Religion. Also, Women and Violence, Service Learning, and Women Cross-Culturally will be discussed. Pamela Atkinson will be the Keynote Speaker for the Conference.

Atkinson is a longtime friend of Southern Utah University, having made sound and conscientious decisions for the betterment of the Institution. She is recently retired from the Utah State Board of Regents. She has a statewide reputation of being a hardworking and caring civic leader. A former vice president for Mission Services at Intermountain Health Care, she has a history of selfless service to others. Born into humble circumstances in England, Atkinson earned nursing credentials from the University College Hospital in London. She subsequently earned a master’s degree at the University of California-Berkeley. Later, despite good intentions to journey to Australia to work on a sheep farm, she ended up, instead on an island in the Torres Straits working with Aborigine families. She has remained a model “servant-leader” in her community and state, inspiring others by her own example as a volunteer. A tireless advocate for the low income and homeless populations, and for at-risk children, she can often be found going out with medical teams to homeless camps, or helping out local clinics and multicultural centers. People from all walks of life admire and appreciate her compassion, her consistent treatment of all with respect, and willingness to take action, often using her own personal resources, to help others. She finds what she does, fun and rewarding, and is always the first to acknowledge anyone else besides herself. One of her mottos is “Don’t ever underestimate the power of even a small amount of caring. . .a word of encouragement here and there has a powerful impact on people.” Those who have heard Atkinson speak before are loyal fans.

Those who have yet to take advantage of her character and knowledge, should definitely plan on attending the SUU 2004 Women's Conference.

Opportunity to receive college credit by attending the Conference is available. For more info on this, contact Dennis Waskul at 865-8693. For more info on the Conference overall, contact Kristin Varney at 590-5146, or Renee Ballenger at 586-1997.

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Contact Information:

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