Karen Bell (Co-Author) was elected
captain of her junior high school cheerleading squad in the seventh grade.
Spurred on by this show of confidence in her movement and leadership skills, she
later pursued a master of fine arts in dance at Sarah Lawrence College. She
taught at Cornell University, Wells College, Elmira College and the State
University of New York at Potsdam before joining the faculty at The Ohio State
University in 1980. Karen chaired the Department of Dance at OSU from 1995-2001
and is now dean of the College of the Arts. She has just completed shooting
"Heel Talk: the Movie," a video treatment of a movement theater piece that
examines self-image, motherhood, divorce and work through a foucus on aging and
finding just the right shoe. She has a 19-year-old son in art school.
Janet Jackson (Co-Author) received her law degree
from the National Law Center at George Washington University in 1978. She spent
nearly ten years as a judge on the Franklin County Municipal Court and six years
as Columbus City Attorney. She is now president and CEO of the United Way of
Central Ohio and is both the first woman and the first African-American to head
the eighty-one-year-old organization. Her work there blends her professional
and community experience to positively impact the lives of central Ohio's most
needy. Over the years, Janet has served in leadership roles with community
organizations ranging from Action for Children to Grants/Riverside Methodist
Hospitals and garnered numerous honors and awards, most notably induction into
the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 2001. Her 14-year-old son is in the ninth
grade this school year.
Karen Schwarzwalder (Co-Author) earned
her bachelor's degree in English from The Ohio State University before serving
in the United States Peace Corps as a teacher in Ndololegi, Tanzania. Upon
returning to the U.S., she taught in the Columbus Public Schools before becoming
executive director of the University District Organization. In 1986, she became
president and CEO of the YWCA of Columbus, where she served for seventeen years
providing programming for women and families focusing on housing, education and
wellness. She is now regional coordinator of the YWCA Great Lakes Alliance.
Karen has been elected to the Columbus Board of Education three times, most
recently in 2003, and has earned numerous awards for community service,
including Distinguished Graduate of the Year in 2000 from the College of the
Humanities at Ohio State University. She has two children.
Kathryn Sullivan (Co-Author) is the
first American woman to walk in space, a veteran of three space shuttle missions
and a 2004 inductee to the Astronaut Hall of Fame. She left NASA to accept a
presidential appointment to the post of chief scientist at the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration, where she oversaw research and technology
programs rnaging from global climate change to satellites and marine
biodiversity. In 1996, she moved to Columbus to become president and CEO of
COSI (the Center of Science and Industry), and educational museum focusing on
techonology and the sciences. In 2003, Kathy received the National Science
Board's Public Service Award in recognition of her lifelong commitment science
education. She is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of
Science and a captain in the United States Naval Reserve.
Mari Sunami (Co-Author) spent three
years in Jamaica as a teacher and trainer in the United State Peace Corps prior
to completing her master's degree in education from the University of Conneticut
in 1972. Her love of education led her to numberous teaching positions with
daycare centers and children with special needs. In 1993, she completed her
second master's degree, in anthropology, from Ohio State University. That same
year she became executive director of South Side Settlement, where she works to
extend and enrich the social, educational, and cultural experiences of
neighborhood residents of all ages. Mari serves on the boards of directors of
several community organizations, including the Art for a Child-Safe America
Foundation, Doctors Hospital and the Community Housing Network. She has two
children.
Mary Jo Conte (Primary Author) earned
her bachelor's degree in journalism summa cum laude from The Ohio State
University and her master's degree in business administration from The Ohio
State University. She has more than twenty-five years of experience in public
affairs and marketing communications, including positions at companies as
diverse as Time Warner Cable, American Electric Power and drink box manufacturer
Combibloc. An active member of the Columbus community, she serves on the boards
of the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Women's Fund of Central Ohio, and the
Jefferson Center for Learning and the Arts. Mary Jo also is a past chair of the
YWCA Columbus