Women’s Conference slated for April 16

It has been a quarter of a century and the College of Eastern Utah continues to bring Women’s Conferences to the women of Southeastern Utah each spring. This year, the conference committee invited former First Lady of Utah, Norma Matheson, to keynote the annual event. An Outstanding Woman of Southeastern Utah will be named and 10 workshops devoted to issues of current interest will be offered during the conference to be held on Friday, April 16 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Titled “Pieces of Our Life,” the conference is geared towards mothers, daughters, granddaughters, professional women, creative women, and students. Men, of course, are welcome. The Balance Rock Art Group (BRAG) will be exhibiting as well as the Castle Valley Quilters display of wall hangings and full-size quilts created by over 40 women from Carbon and Emery counties.
Registration is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. at the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center. Dean of Professional and Applied Technical Education, Michelle Fleck, Ph.D., is slated to welcome the attendees and each participant can attend 3 of the 10 one-hour workshops which include Kundalini Yoga, container gardening, starting a book club, mastering your volunteer service skills, quilting, identity theft, women’s health issues, feng shui, the fine art of water colorist and jewelry making, and saving for your children’s and grandchildren’s higher education costs.
Speakers include Judy Mainord, Mary Helen Powell, Pam Juliano, Karen Nelson, Danielle Howa Pendergrass, Jerry Jacobs, Deva Kaur Khalsa and Geri Petersen. The Castle Valley Quilters are offering several workshops as well as Erica Kardelis will be presenting a workshop on printmaking and Lisa Chamberlain will be demonstrating sculpting.
After lunch last year’s recipient, Kathy Murray, will announce the Outstanding Woman of Southeastern Utah. Norma Matheson will conclude the conference with her thoughts on “Pieces of Our Life.”
Matheson grew up in Nephi and after moving with her family to San Francisco and Philadelphia, she returned to Salt Lake City where she graduated from East High School. It was while a student at East that she met her husband Scott Matheson. She continued her education at the University of Utah where she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in zoology.
She served as First Lady of the State of Utah with her husband Scott who served eight years as governor. She was involved in numerous causes during his administration including senior citizens, education and children’s issues. She continues to be active in those issues as well as adding conservation and health care to her agenda.
Her greatest joy is her four children: Scott Jr, dean of the University of Utah College of Law; Lu, former elementary education teacher and now stay at home mother; Jim, congressman for Utah’s Second Congressional District; and Tom, who is completing his post-doctorate in astrophysics at Harvard University; their spouses and six wonderful grandchildren.
Cost for the conference is $16 and includes attendance at the workshops and lunch. To attend lunch only, cost is $12. The conference is in the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center and it is co-sponsored by CEU, the Utah Hamanities Council and the United Way of Carbon County. For more information, call the CEU Office of Institutional Advancement at 613-5356.