32nd annual Women’s Conference set for April 1

Life coach Connie Sokol and Salt Lake Community College President Cynthia Bioteau will keynote USU-CEU’s 32nd annual Women’s Conference from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. on Friday, April 1 in the Jennifer Leavitt Student Center. Theme for the conference is “Movers and Shakers” and it features 12 workshops on topics applicable to today’s women.
The workshops include “Looking Better, Feeling Better” by Dr. Karen Radley, “Living a Gluten-Free Diet” by Shanny Wilson, “Death by Chocolate” by Jeanette Parker, “Canning 1010: Your Garden in a Jar” by Colleen Marsing, “Quilting 1010” by Jan Guptill, “Sleep…What’s That” by Nataniel Woodward, “Movers and Shakers in Politics” by Laurie Pitchforth and Christine Watkins, “Getting Organized When You Don’t Have Time” by Carol Sokol, “Wills and Trusts for Women” by Christian Bryner, “Cooking Greek: Baklava” by Pam Cha and “Herbal Gardening” by Hillary Gordon and Tammy Hansen.
The morning keynote is Dr. Bioteau who has served as president and CEO of SLCC since 2005, the first woman to hold the position. She has over 35 years in the education, mental health and business fields and has converged the expertise and attributes of all three into her passion for accessible and critical education for all community members. She created the Women’s Business Institute at SLCC to provide programmatic and financial support to women entrepreneurs. 
In 2010 she received the YWCA’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Education, the Salt Lake Chamber’s Athena Award and was recently named by the Utah Business Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Utah.
President Bioteau is known for her passion for positioning the community college at the core of economic and workforce development and building partnerships with business, industry, education, community and governmental agencies. Her experience as an educator and administrator has helped her serve in educational, mental health and community-based institutions throughout the eastern U.S., most recently in North Carolina. She has addressed national audiences on the importance of community colleges to regional and national economic development and recovery at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Labor.
Among her many professional honors, Dr. Bioteau received the 2002 Boston Public Schools Higher Education Partnership Service Award and the 2001 Outstanding Developmental Program in New England Award.  Her contemporary publications include: Critical Transformations: Essays of Voice for Nontraditional Adult Learners; Beyond the Open Gate: Influences on Student Success; The Community College as a Catalyst for Change; Creating the Mosaic of Community Literacy; and Gateways to Empowerment.
The accomplishments Bioteau values most are the two adult children she shares with her husband of 37 years.  Together they enjoy family, fly-fishing, kayaking, hiking and gardening.
The afternoon speaker is Sokol, a national presenter, author and Internet radio host of “LIFEChange Live! She is best known for helping women create and live balanced and beautiful lives.
A regular columnist for the Deseret News and Utah Valley Magazine, she is a former host of “Ask a Woman” for Bonneville Communications and TV host for “Standing Up.” She quips that with her left toe she wrote “Are You Ready for a LIFEChange? and “Life is Too Short for One Hair Color, as well as numerous talk tapes. She is president of LIFEChange, an online coaching program helping women.
She admits that surpassing her passion for LIFEChange, she marinates in time spent with her family consisting of six children and eating decadent treats.
Besides speaking at national and local professional and community conferences, she has taught at Utah Valley University’s continuing education, Thanksgiving Point’s LIFEChange series, Brigham Young University’s Education Week and Best of Especially for Youth.
Bioteau has served as president and CEO of Salt Lake Community College since 2005, the first women to hold the position. She has over 35 years in the education, mental health and business fields; and has converged the expertise and attributes of all three into her passion for accessible and critical education for all community members. She created the Women’s Business Institute at SLCC to provide programmatic and financial support to women entrepreneurs. 

In 2010 she received the YWCA’s Outstanding Achievement Award in Education, the Salt Lake Chamber’s Athena Award, and was recently named by the Utah Business Magazine as one of the 100 Most Influential People in Utah.
President Bioteau is known for her passion for positioning the community college at the core of economic and workforce development and building partnerships with business, industry, education, community and governmental agencies. Her experience as an educator and administrator has helped her serve in educational, mental health, and community-based institutions throughout the eastern U.S., most recently in North Carolina. She has addressed national audiences on the importance of community colleges to regional and national economic development and recovery at the invitation of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Among her many professional honors, Dr. Bioteau received the 2002 Boston Public Schools Higher Education Partnership Service Award and the 2001 Outstanding Developmental Program in New England Award.  Her contemporary publications include: Critical Transformations: Essays of Voice for Nontraditional Adult Learners; Beyond the Open Gate: Influences on Student Success; The Community College as a Catalyst for Change; Creating the Mosaic of Community Literacy; and Gateways to Empowerment.

The accomplishments Bioteau values most are the two adult children she shares with her husband of 37 years.  Together they enjoy family, fly-fishing, kayaking, hiking and gardening.

Cost of the conference is $20 and includes lunch. Register online at www.ceu.edu or send a check to USU-CEU Women’s Conference, 451 East 400 North, Price, Utah 84501. For additional information contact Dr. Susan Polster at 613.5213.