Thanks to these panelists for agreeing to be on our Activate: Leading With Purpose Panel Discussion on September 25, 2023, at Flying Pig Improv, 3203 E. Douglas Ave. in Wichita, Kansas.
About the event: Nothing helps you own your power more than standing up for something you strongly believe in. The challenge is knowing what to do and leading others to get more involved. In this informative panel discussion, experienced advocates will help you discover how to get involved, how to inspire others to action, and resources to guide you.
Panelists:
Claudia Amaro is an immigrant who has been living in Kansas for more than 25 years. She founded AB&C Bilingual Resources, a bilingual marketing company, in 2017 to close the communication gap in her community. She founded Planeta Venus, an online Spanish radio station, podcast, and newspaper. She has played a significant role in the communication and engagement with the Latino community.
For Claudia, her son, daughter-in-law, grandkid, and her husband are her greatest treasure, and she feels blessed to be surrounded by her mother, her four sisters, and their families in Wichita, and friends who respect and love her. Claudia’s goal is to inspire, teach, and motivate more people to exercise leadership in their homes, communities, and places of employment to build a better society together. When she is not busy with work, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, and traveling.
Julia Fabris McBride is the Chief Civic Leadership Development Officer of the Kansas Leadership Center. She is also a certified coach, co-author of two books When Everyone Leads (Bard Press, January 2023) and Teaching Leadership: Case-in-Point, Case Teaching, and Coaching, and author of Your Leadership Edge: Teacher Companion. At KLC, she oversees teacher and coach development and has created three professional programs for leadership developers, including an International Coach Federation (ICF)-approved Leadership Coach training program and an Advanced Leadership Development Intensive that has drawn people to Wichita from four continents. Julia served as KLC’s interim president and CEO from August of 2022 until March of 2023.
Julia has traveled as far afield as Melbourne, Australia, and Yangon, Myanmar, to teach and share the KLC ideas, first among them the principle that leadership is an activity available to anyone, anytime, anywhere. She graduated Summa Cum Laude from Case Western Reserve University and holds a diploma (signed by Sir John Gielgud) from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Julia lives with her husband, sculptor Bill McBride, and teenager Lake McBride in Matfield Green, Kansas, in the heart of the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie. She is a co-founder of the Know Your Worth Women’s Leadership Conference and founding board president of the Pioneer Bluffs Foundation. Julia serves on the advisory committee for the Western Conservation Leadership Development Program and as secretary of the board of directors of the Adaptive Leadership Network. She splits her time between Wichita and Matfield Green.
Melody McCray-Miller has served the community in multiple capacities, always leading with the guiding principles of a strong commitment to community service and a belief in people having a voice in their own destiny. Ms. McCray-Miller served as a State Representative for the 89th House District from 2005 to 2013. Prior to running for State Representative, McCray-Miller served as the first African American woman to represent the 4th District on the Board of Sedgwick County Commissioners, following in the footsteps of her father, Billy McCray. Melody successfully championed reforms in prevention, early childhood education, and the juvenile justice system in her role as a local public official and state legislator. Melody is proud of her rich and diverse background, which also includes being a USD 259 teacher and a small business owner, Miller’s Inc., for 25+ years.
Melody McCray-Miller continues to wear multiple hats in the community, consulting on issues regarding health disparities, juvenile justice reform as well as business development.
McCray-Miller is a Kansas Health Foundation Fellow and alum of the Kansas Leadership Center. As a seasoned public policy maker with expertise at both the state and local level, Melody is keenly adept at identifying and understanding the steps involved in public policy making and is committed to increasing the participating role of “community” in public policy making and community engagement. She continues her passion for people and serving as a catalyst for urban communities working to change lives and strengthen communities as an Adjunct Lecturer in the Political Science Department at Wichita State University and as a Guest Instructor at the Citizen Upward Bound, WSU/TRIO Program. And currently, Melody is campaigning to be the next USD #259 At Large Board member.
Moderator:
Jill D. Miller is passionate about helping people grow – professionally and personally. Her consulting company, Creative Solutions, has helped fledgling and seasoned entrepreneurs launch and grow out-of-the-ordinary and sometimes quirky ventures since 1998. Jill found her gift for teaching as a corporate trainer and loves influencing young minds as an adjunct professor of Entrepreneurship in the Arts at Wichita State University.
As Headmistress of the Finishing School for Modern Women, Jill has worked with thousands of women, inspiring them to overcome obstacles and move toward their goals. She founded the Badass Women of Wichita Alliance in 2021 with weekly gatherings to build community, promote nonprofits, and develop “badassery.”
After writing a blog for the Finishing School for seven years, Jill was inspired to compile her favorites into her first book, “Never Finished: Practical advice for Modern Women to inspire your fierce, authentic self she published in October 2022.
Active in the Wichita community, Jill leads cultural and women's organizations and is a zealous volunteer. In her spare time, she likes to attend artistic events and relax at home with her miniature rescue poodle, Jack.
This panel is sponsored by Optometric Billings Solutions, optometricbilling.com, (316) 722-2021 and Flying Pig Improv, flyingpigimprov.com, (316) 833-1889
Thank you to our sponsor, Optometric Billing Solutions!
Because of their sponsorship, we're able to keep the prices for our Badass Women of Wichita Alliance events at only $10, including panel discussions.
At 10501 W. Hampton Lakes in Maize, OBS is a woman-owned, nationally recognized insurance billing company for optometrist clinics in 43 states. It was named by Wichita Business Journal as one of the best places to work in Wichita, based on confidential employee job satisfaction surveys.
If you’re ready for a career in an employee-centered company with flexible hours and options to work at home after training, OBS wants to talk to you! Go to https://bit.ly/OBSBadass for more information.
Sending a resume to BWWA@obsteam.com and letting OBS know the applicant is referred by the Badass network automatically guarantees them an interview. Make sure they drop your name when they apply! OBS rewards your referral with $150 cash each time the person you sent gets hired!
Did you know I've published a book? Learn more about it here!
Because We’re Never Finished
The Finishing School for Modern Women, located in Wichita, Kansas, offers classes to help women find their authentic selves, not because we need finishing, but because we’re never finished. We bring together women of all ages to learn from experts and each other how to claim our power in business, finance, communication, and life.
To learn more about what we do:
https://www.finishingschoolformodernwomen.com for our classes and free social membership.
Contact Us
Phone: 316-841-8927 Email: jill@finishingschoolformodernwomen.com