Bay Path University kicks off 125th anniversary celebration with On the Move, annual forum bringing together inclusive, diverse voices to advance women
Longmeadow, MA—Bay Path University, along with a host of community collaborators will convene the sixth annual On the Move forum on Tuesday, March 22. The daylong virtual event engages community members and leaders; students from Bay Path and other area institutions; and businesses, educators and others from the Springfield region and beyond, for a day of conversations and workshops, designed to provoke thought, build community and inspire action.
This year, On the Move will present an inaugural National Leadership Award to Dionne Warwick, honoring her for decades of leadership and outstanding accomplishments. “We extend gratitude to Ms. Warwick for her leadership over many decades to inspire success in communities and across the country,” says the forum’s founder, Janine Fondon.
This year’s event, which is offered at no cost to attendees, is themed “Reimagine: Progress The Hills We Climb, the Paths We Forge and the Future We Create,” as an homage to Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem, as well as to recognize 1977 National Women’s Conference and the ongoing fight for change. The event will revisit historic milestones, while aligning paths to new success through discussions, networking opportunities and resource sharing.
The annual event was founded by Fondon, Chair of Undergraduate Communications and Assistant Professor at Bay Path University, to unite women to share their diverse perspectives and collective goals. “On the Move is an opportunity to have intergenerational, cross-cultural and gender-inclusive conversations, where women of all backgrounds, professional levels, affinities, and affiliations can share their voices to forge new success,” she explains.
Fondon was inspired by the 1977 National Women’s Conference, which brought together women from throughout the country to debate, collaborate and enact change to advance women in the workplace and their communities. That conference put forward a series of platforms dedicated to confronting issues in education, business and finance, and health and wellness.
“Bay Path is commemorating 125 years of evolution, innovation and impact, and On the Move is the perfect event to launch our year of celebration.” says Bay Path’s President Sandra Doran. “This event captures so much of what inspired and continues to inspire those of us who advocate for change, but also invites the voices and perspectives of this emerging generation to shape the conversation and set the agenda for the future.”
A series of speakers will offer insights about how we can reimagine progress as we focus on making new history through empowerment and advancement. They include: Dani Monroe, president of the national consultancy firm, Center Focus International, Inc. and founder of the Martha’s Vineyard Chief Diversity Officer Summit; Nicole Young Martin, poet, playwright and Community Investments Manager for the Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts; and Vanessa Pabon, New England Public Media’s Senior Director of Education & Community Engagement and Executive Producer of NEPM’s Presencia, a bilingual television program focused on the region’s Latino communities; and Dr. Laura Lovett, Associate Professor at the University of Pittsburgh and author of It's Our Movement Now: Black Women's Politics and the 1977 National Women's Conference.
On the Move 2022 will include three breakout discussion sessions with relevant dialogue, networking and resource-building based on: workforce trends and career growth; diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives; and tackling hot topics through an intergenerational lens.