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<p>The University of Tennessee at Martin’s WestStar Leadership Program will host the 25<sup>th</sup>-annual Working Women’s Conference from 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m., Feb. 10, in the Boling University Center’s Duncan Ballroom on the UT Martin main campus. The $50 registration fee includes a continental breakfast and lunch.</p>
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<p>This year’s conference theme is “Life is a Highway” and features sessions titled “When the Road is Wide Open” and “May the Road Rise to Meet You.” Keynote speakers for the conference are Cicely Simpson, founder and CEO of Summit Public Affairs, and Susannah Lewis, author, humorist and podcaster.&nbsp;</p>
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<p>Simpson is the best-selling author of “Pull Up Your Chair: 5 Strategies to Change the Trajectory of Your Career.” She is a career success strategist and coach and also has a background in politics and business. &nbsp;Lewis has authored two non-fiction books and is the recipient of the Blogher Voices of the Year Award. She is also the host of “Moral of the Story,” a podcast used to share humorous and heartwarming stories and life lessons.</p>
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<p>“The work-life balance is much like a highway, and we will have some relevant topics this year that will hopefully help us with things to be cautious about, help us stay in the right lanes, but most of all, see all the good that the working life brings,” said Jennifer Schlicht, member of the conference planning committee and executive assistant to the vice chancellor for university advancement.</p>
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<p>Additional conference speakers include Nancy Choate, attorney, Spragins, Barnett &amp; Cobb, PLC; Shelia Dieringer, West Tennessee Healthcare; Dr. Leah Gray, coordinator, West Tennessee Regional CIT, National Alliance for Mental Awareness; Belinda Anderson, principal, Chester County Junior High School; Neisha Salas-Berry, registered nurse; Dr. Teresa Collard, UT Martin professor of mass media and strategic communication; and Dr. Lisa LeBleu, UT Martin professor of family and consumer sciences.</p>
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<p>To register for the conference, visit utm.edu/weststar and select the “conferences and events” tab.</p>
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<p>For more information about the conference or the WestStar Leadership Program, contact Jennifer Black, program manager, at 731-881-7298.</p>
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