2011 USC Women’s Conference Expected to Draw Capacity Crowd

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — March 9, 2011 — An impressive line-up of featured speakers from the worlds of journalism, philanthropy and sports headlines the third annual USC Women’s Conference: “Express, Encourage, Inspire!” on March 11, 2011, at the university’s downtown Los Angeles campus.

Presented by the USC Alumni Association with the support of the event’s primary sponsor Bank of America, this day-long forum will explore a wide range of topics, including women’s health, career development, financial strategies and leadership, in panel discussions and workshops. The attendees will also have the opportunity to network during a continental breakfast, lunch and post-conference dessert reception.

Last year’s conference drew more than 500 women to campus for the program; this year, a capacity crowd numbering more than 700 is expected to attend.

Among the scheduled speakers this year is five-time Olympic medalist Janet Evans, widely considered the best American female distance swimmer in history. A graduate of the USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism who’s worked as both a public speaker and commentator for Fox Sports and ESPN, Evans will deliver the conference keynote address.

ABC7 Eyewitness News morning traffic reporter and USC alumna Alysha Del Valle will moderate the afternoon’s “Expressions of Inspiration” panel discussion, featuring three women who are committed to making a difference in the world through philanthropy, including Dana Dornsife, the president and founder of Lazarex Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit providing resources to cancer patients exploring different treatment options; earlier this week, she and her husband, USC Trustee David Dornsife, donated $200 million — the largest single gift in the university’s history — to name the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The other “Expressions of Inspiration” panelists are USC undergraduate Jordan Foxworthy, the founder of the BITE BACK campaign, which raises funds and awareness to combat malaria; and Elizabeth Rusnak Arizmendi, vice president of the Rusnak Auto Group, who develops and facilitates the company’s relationships with various nonprofits and coordinates its community relations efforts.

A host committee of USC alumni leaders and volunteers, university senior administrators and Alumni Association staff spent months developing and planning the conference agenda. According to the committee co-chairs Deena Lew and Beth Petak-Aaron, the goal is “to provide women an opportunity to reflect, reconnect and refresh so they leave feeling ready to take on the world.”

For a complete listing of the conference speakers and the day’s workshops, visit https://alumni.usc.edu/events/signature/womensconference.html.

ABOUT THE USC ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
The USC Alumni Association’s mission is to support the overall advancement of the University of Southern California by engaging all alumni for life, building a culture of philanthropy among the Trojan Family, and being the representative voice for all USC alumni.

With more than 300,000 members worldwide, the USC Alumni Association supports more than 100 affiliated alumni clubs, alumnae support groups and multicultural alumni organizations, and distributes more than two million dollars each year in scholarships for USC students.  In addition, the association annually hosts hundreds of events and programs around the world, and provides benefits and services to all USC alumni. The 2010-2011 USC Alumni Association Board of Governors president is Carol C. Fox MS ’62 and the Alumni Association CEO is Scott M. Mory.

Contact: Tim Knight at (213)740-5948 or timothy.knight@usc.edu