speaker and expert
SUZANNE
WERTHEIM, PHD
LANGUAGE HAS TWO KEY COMPONENTS: the ability to speak and be understood, and the ability to listen and understand. Language is used in
every aspect of our lives, reflecting our personal values and beliefs. It has a
profound impact on the way we perceive ourselves and others, influencing our
mood and mindset. It also shapes our cultural identities and social realities.
Today, the need for a conscious change or awareness of how words are
used has become ever more urgent – for inclusivity in communication and to
support gender equality. A keynote presentation by Suzanne Wertheim, PhD.
includes insights and strategies for using inclusive language effectively. The
essence of her message highlights the ways in which language can be used
to empower women and create positive change in our communities.
No matter your position, role, or identity, this event is for you. You’ll have the
opportunity to be with people who value and appreciate women and gender-expansive people, engage in thought-provoking discussion, and walk away
with practical tips for promoting inclusive language in your own life and work.
SPEAKER AND EXPERT
Dr. Suzanne Wertheim is a national expert on inclusive language and
the author of The Inclusive Language Field Guide (2023). After getting
her Ph.D. in Linguistics from Berkeley, she held faculty positions at
Northwestern, University of Maryland, and UCLA. In 2011, she left the
university system in order to apply her expertise to real-world problems.
Dr. Wertheim has been an invited speaker around the US and in Europe,
presenting research on language and bias, language and gender, and
anthropology and artificial intelligence. She has done fieldwork with
speakers as diverse as Tatar nationalists in the former Soviet Union, Native
Americans in central California, comedians in Los Angeles, and female
engineers of San Francisco and Silicon Valley.
As head of Worthwhile Research & Consulting, Dr. Wertheim now
specializes in analyzing and addressing bias at work. Her clients have
included tech giants such as Google and Reddit, financial companies
such as Charles Schwab, and national news organizations such as News
Nation. In addition to her keynote speaking on inclusive language and
culture, Dr. Wertheim creates customized training for clients based on her
original research. She also leads both short-term and long-term consulting
engagements.
Barnes & Noble book display
EVENT EMCEE AND HER SCHOLAR
Kathleen was a non-traditional college student, graduating at the age of 39. Her sole purpose was to obtain a college degree to demonstrate to her daughters that college was attainable. She had read a statistic stating that children were more likely to attend and graduate from college if one or both parents had done so. In Kathleen’s family, there was no one who had graduated from college, and neither she nor the children’s father had achieved this milestone.
Ten years post-graduation, Kathleen is now a regional support manager for GO Riteway. She worked as a school bus driver for GO Riteway while attending school, and after graduating with a degree in philosophy, she received multiple opportunities to advance.
Kathleen takes pride in the fact that all her daughters attended college. One graduated in 2015, the youngest is set to graduate in 2024, and the other is working on a degree in education while working at Muskego High School as a special needs assistant.
During her college journey, Kathleen received encouragement and assistance from college professors and Rochelle Bast, co-owner of GO Riteway. She also received much-needed financial support from the Women’s Fund of Greater Milwaukee and the HER Scholarship Program. The HER Scholarship Program, in particular, played a crucial role in her final semester. Today, Kathleen is an active member of the HER Scholarship Committee, where she helps select future HER Scholars.
event emcee and
HER scholar
KATHLEEN TURNER
Thank you for your partnership
Signature Partner:
Visionary Partner:
Book Partner:
Innovation Partners:
Brewers Community Foundation
Foley & Lardner
Kane Communications Group
Quarles
Erika Sander
Passion Partners:
Small Studio
Tobias Kaemmerer and Marilka Veléz
WaterStone Bank
Table Captains:
Kate Brejcha, KLB & Co.
Lisa Breitsprecker
Julie Cordero
Gina Jaeckel
Sheila Long, MalamaDoe
Amy Muehlbauer
Joell Poole
Charlotte Supple
1996 Partners:
Allspring Global Investments
Alverno College
Annette Jacobson
BMO
Findorff
Russ Garbczyk and Julie Ragland
Good Karma Brands
JP Morgan
LEGACY Private Trust Company
Marcus Hotels & Resorts
Michael Best
Milwaukee Downtown, BID #21
Milwaukee Magazine
Monica Shah-Davidson
speak.write.coach
Stamm Technologies
Toro, Toro, Toro, Inc. & Mojofuco
VISIT Milwaukee
von Briesen
inclusive influencers
honorees named by event sponsors
BRENDA BEST
YOMARIE CASTELLANO
SHERRICE HARRELL
MARLENE MOLTER
NORA PLATT
LINDSAY STYCK
ELYN TYSON-MCDOWELL
KATE WESOLOWSKI
“To celebrate all of these new Power Illuminators, I am giving a gift to the Women’s Fund this year of $23,000.
But there is more.
Have you ever been to a fundraising event? You know, the kind where there is table after table of silent auction items? Where there are raffle tickets to buy? There is nothing wrong with any of these HOWEVER the WF is DIFFERENT. THAT’S WHY I’M HERE TODAY. The WF is focused on issues affecting gender equality. It gives each of us opportunities to become informed, to create community, and to transform OURSELVES AND CHANGE CULTURE. This is how we create a city where gender equity exists. THIS is what it means to be a philanthropist at the WF.
As I’ve given at the WF, I have found more courage and a bigger voice; I’ve become more powerful. As you can imagine, this changes relationships. Isn’t that what our work is about? In order to change culture to create a more equitable world, we need to be courageous, to step into our power and use our voices – in ALL of our relationships – with spouses and partners, colleagues and neighbors, ALL who we interact with. This is how real change occurs, how our community changes – relationship by relationship, life by life. This is how we create an equitable community.
My vision for the WF is that our impact on Milwaukee is so great, that we are known INTERNATIONALLY for the impact we have, creating an equitable community at all levels. Stop for a moment and imagine what THAT would be like for you as an individual, and for all of us here. You can be you, without thinking “am I safe? Will I be heard? Will I be taken seriously?” You live in a city where the maternal death rate would plummet, where there is healthy water for everyone, where there are as many women and gender-expansive individuals in elected office as men, where there are as many gender-expansive and women CEOs as men… where each of us truly thrives without fear or limitations. This is an amazing place to live!
To continue on this adventure of creating THAT community, to move toward this goal, I am giving a matching gift of $1000 for each NEW Power Illuminator, from today through a year from now, up to $24,000.
Because GIVING CHANGES US. THAT’S how we create equity. THAT’S how the WF impacts Milwaukee and the world.”
— Annette Jacobson
Event Committee
Ashton Henry (chair)
Megan Anderson
Laura Lutter Cole
Rachel Goyette
Jumana Heindel
Paige Hunt
Gillian Lester-George de Montesinos
Glenda Mitchell
Jumana Heindel
Paige Hunt
Gillian Lester-George de Montesinos
Glenda Mitchell
