Former NASA astronaut Dr. Mae Jemison — the first woman of color to go into space aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour — will give the keynote address at the 32nd annual Women of Color Task Force Career Conference on March 7.

The conference, the theme of which is “Transforming the Face of Leadership,” will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Hill Auditorium, the Michigan League and the Modern Languages Building. 

Sponsored by TIAA-CREF, the conference is the largest staff development event at U-M and is open to the public.

Jemison’s 8:30 a.m. talk at Hill Auditorium is free and open to the public, but registration is required to attend all other conference events. The cost to attend the conference is $75 for U-M students and retirees, and $120 for others. Attendees may select from 32 professional and personal development workshop sessions, such as those involving leadership, saving and investing, and social media.

As an environmental studies professor at Dartmouth College, Jemison taught classes on and researched technology design and sustainable development with special emphasis on developing countries. She is a worldwide respected voice in science, technology, engineering and mathematics education.

Prior to joining NASA she was the Area Peace Corps Medical Officer for Sierra Leone and Liberia and a general practice physician in Los Angeles. She is on the boards of Kimberly-Clark, Scholastic and Valspar.

A member of the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine, she also is an inductee of the National Women’s Hall of Fame, the National Medical Association Hall of Fame, and Texas Science Hall of Fame.

Jemison currently serves as founder and principal of the 100 Year Starship Project. Her leadership and vision provide guidance and direction for the foundation’s goal of ensuring the capability for a successful human journey to another star by 2112. 

The WCTF conference was first offered in 1983 by the Minority Women Task Force, which started its professional development sessions in 1979. The group’s founders, Jennie Partee and Beulah Sanders Stafford, gathered other African-American employees to discuss employment concerns, such as dealing with gender and race bias in the workplace. In the mid-1980s, the Minority Women Task Force became the Women of Color Task Force and its members sought other ethnic groups to join the organization.

The Women of Color Task Force Conference is an extension of WCTF’s efforts to provide professional development opportunities for university staff throughout the year. Career development sessions are incorporated into the monthly meeting agendas and the group holds a leadership development seminar for its members each summer.

For instance, Latreece Taylor, a supervisor in the Loss Prevention Unit of the Hospitals and Health Centers Security Services Department, spoke to the audience before last year’s conference keynote session in Hill Auditorium.

“Preparing to speak to a large audience gave me confidence, a trait that I use today to successfully deliver major presentations to my work group,” said Taylor, a WCTF member for three years.  “The leadership skills I have gained while serving as a member of the WCTF executive team (have) helped me make a smooth transition from staff member to supervisor.”

For more information about WCTF and its staff development activities, contact program coordinator Janice Reuben at 734-764-6005 or email reubenjs@umich.edu.