Overcoming Challenges: Strategies for Women's Resiliency
The Office of Diversity and Community Engagement presents a virtual panel discussion on “Overcoming Challenges – Strategies for Women’s Resiliency.” This virtual event will take place on March 29 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 pm. Our diverse panel of women will share their stories of success and the barriers and obstacles they faced on their journey. Topics will include; navigating difficult situations, advice on building resiliency in your personal or professional life, strategies to navigate the workplace, and more. This event highlights the profound impact of women and their strength to overcome challenges. Register now!
Panelists:
Lucille M. Nickerson
Chair Emerita, University of Hartford’s Board of Regents, Founding Board Chair of The Women’s Advancement Initiative, and former senior legal counsel, corporate secretary, and business executive at Aetna, Inc.
Lucille M. Nickerson is Chair Emerita of the University of Hartford’s Board of Regents where she served as Chair from May 2013 to May 2018. She is the first woman to chair the Board in the institution's history. Previously a trustee of Hartford College for Women (HCW), a constituent college of the University, Nickerson was instrumental in transitioning the HCW legacy into The Women's Advancement Initiative, of which she became the founding chair.
Nickerson's professional career has centered around her roles as senior legal counsel, corporate secretary, and business executive at Aetna, Inc. Following her retirement from Aetna, she managed a Connecticut nonprofit dedicated to providing elementary-age children from low-income families with scholarships to attend private or parochial schools. Nickerson is president and cofounder of Nickerson-Zegarelli Consultants, LLC, which provides strategic, technical, and governance solutions to small businesses and nonprofits. She earned her JD degree with honors from the University of Connecticut School of Law. Nickerson also holds a Master of Science in Physiology from UConn. She earned her bachelor's degree from Connecticut College.
Maxien Robinson-Lewin
President, Greater Hartford NAACP
Maxien Robinson-Lewin was born and raised in Hartford, Connecticut to Rupert and Thelma Robinson, natives of Jamaica, West Indies. She is one of nine (9) children.
Maxien graduated from Thomas Snell Weaver High School in the Class of 2000. She went on to receive a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting at the University of Hartford; where she graduated in 2004.
Maxien began her volunteer service within the Greater Hartford Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 2013, and is currently a Silver Life Member, as well as a member of Women in the NAACP (WIN). She has held numerous elected and appointed positions within the local Association as well as the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches. Maxien was elected President of the Greater Hartford Branch of the NAACP in 2018. She has served as the Branch Treasurer, Secretary, and Youth Council Advisor.
Ms. Robinson-Lewin serves as the 3rd Vice President of the Connecticut State Conference and served as Assistant Secretary of the Connecticut State Conference of NAACP Branches from 2015-2019.
Maxien resides in Hartford with her husband Ernie and two children.
Gabriella Silva
Fordham Law School Student
Gabriella Silva recently graduated from University of Hartford's College of Arts and Sciences. She majored in Economics and International Studies with a concentration in Global Development. While at UHart, Gabriella served as president of the Hispanic & Latino Student Association as well as treasurer of the Commuter Student Association. She affirmed her interest in the law during her internship with Hinckley Allen & Snyder LLP through the Lawyers Collaborative for Diversity. She is currently a Stein Scholar for Public Interest at Fordham University School of Law. As a lawyer she hopes to work in immigration and criminal defense. This summer she will be interning at Safe Passage Project in New York City, a non-profit organization which works to defend children in the area facing removal proceedings.
Moderator:
Pearl Douglas, CPA
Pearl Douglas is a University of Hartford Regent, President and Chief Executive Officer of Canoville Consulting, LLC.
Pearl is passionate about education and women’s issues evident in her many community volunteer roles as chair of The Women’s Advancement Initiative’s Board of Directors, Board member for The Village, volunteer tax preparer for low income families through United Way, seminar leader with The Entrepreneurial Center at the University of Hartford’s Barney School of Business, former treasurer on the Board of The Edgemont Scholarship Council, and member of The Connecticut Women’s Council.
Prior to establishing Canoville Consulting, Pearl engaged with a diverse client portfolio at Gelfand Rennert & Feldman LLP, RSM McGladrey, and at Margolin, Winer & Evens, LLP. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Baruch College of the City University of New York and is a Certified Public Accountant licensed in Connecticut and New York. Pearl is currently pursuing a Master’s of Business Administration at the University of Connecticut. She is married to Dr. Montgomery Douglas ’83 and they have three children.
Co-moderator:
Jada Hill ’23
Nursing Student and Published Poet
Jada Hill ’23 is a University of Hartford sophomore pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing at the College of Education, Nursing and Health Professions. Each day, she makes it her goal to demonstrate leadership, creativity, and inclusivity.
Jada is an ambassador for The Women’s Advancement Initiative’s LEAD (Leadership Education and Development) program. In this role, she uses her voice to inspire others, steps out of her comfort zone to embrace new opportunities, and is an advocate for the program’s focus on leadership and personal development training.
She is dedicated to helping others and expressing her own creativity. She served as a youth gymnastics coach, volunteered in the maternity department at NYU’s Langone Hospital, formerly NYU Winthrop, and currently helps manage the University of Hartford’s Women’s Basketball team. In February 2021, Jada published her first book of poetry, Flower Guarding, which is dedicated to everyone “continuing to feel, learn, and heal.”
Register Now
To RSVP, please register online. WebEx information will be sent to you automatically following your registration.
Please email questions about the lecture to Brianna D’Arcangelo, Program Coordinator for the Office of Diversity and Community Engagement, at darcangel@hartford.edu.