STEPHENVILLE, Texas — Tarleton State University and its Women’s Mentoring Network (WMN) were well-represented at the annual Texas Women in Higher Education (TWHE) Conference, March 26-28 in Denton.
Leading the Tarleton delegation were members of the WMN executive team — Michele Hancock, Accreditation and Compliance Specialist; Dr. Kayon Barrett, Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemistry, Geosciences and Physics; Dr. Rebecca Morrow, criminal justice Assistant Professor; and Dr. Lora Helvie-Mason, WMN founder and Tarleton’s TWHE institutional representative.
“The Texas Women in Higher Education Conference allowed me to learn from some of the most influential women in higher education,” Hancock said. “This powerful network of women enables you to build meaningful relationships across Texas and provides a way to connect with peers and gain inspiration from their experiences. This has truly been an inspiring, motivating, empowering experience.”
Dr. Morrow received a 2023 TWHE grant to support her work leading a writing accountability group on campus. She was a featured panelist at the conference, sharing her experiences with the grant and how it has made an impact. She also served as a session moderator.
Criminal justice Instructor Brittany Sutton attended as well and said that as a new faculty member it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. “The conference provided me a sense of community that was much needed.”
Dr. Helvie-Mason and Dr. Elizabeth Wallace, Assistant Vice President for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Cultural Enrichment Experiences, served on the conference planning committee, and Dr. Sarah Maben presented with Texas Wesleyan’s Dr. Kay Colley on the power of collaboration.
Tarleton was a silver sponsor for the conference.
About the Women’s Mentoring Network
Tarleton WMN began from a writing accountability group designed to help motivate women to achieve their research goals. Over time, the conversations shifted to more general support, encouragement and mentoring. WMN was formally created in August 2019, in connection with Texas Women in Higher Education and Texas A&M System goals to support women in the academy. To join visit www.tarleton.edu/womensmentoring and look for the Get Involved button. Semimonthly meetings occur on Zoom and feature a slate of programs. Contact Dr. Helvie-Mason at [email protected].
