The Power of a Woman

University to Honor Five Alumnae for Leadership in Their Fields

February 25, 2008

By Pamela McLaren

Sue Ellen Cooper founded the Red Hat Society.
Annette Feliciani, leads AEF Systems Consulting, Inc. as its president.
Sandra Bell is vice president/chief marketing officer for First American Corporation.
Judith Segura serves as director of development for Global Imprints, LLC.
Erin McNally entertains thousands as a professional singer and actor.

Five women, five titans in their fields — and all Cal State Fullerton graduates.

As part of Cal State Fullerton’s yearlong 50th anniversary celebration, the university kicks off Women’s History Month with “Women Leading the Way,” a March 5 public celebration of not just the five honorees named above but all Cal State Fullerton women leaders.

“We were looking for outstanding alumnae to represent various decades of the university’s history,” said Sandra Rhoten, associate dean of students for judicial affairs, who organized the event with Andi Stein, associate professor of communications. “We were seeking the idea of people coming into the room with these outstanding individuals and saying, ‘wow! What great women!’ I think we have achieved that.”

Kicking off at 4 p.m. will be a panel presentation in which Cooper (B.A. English ’68), Feliciani (B.A. business administration-finance ’80), Bell (B.A. communications ’81), Segura (B.S. mechanical engineering ’94) and McNally (B.A. theatre and dance – musical theatre ’02) will answer questions “about their life’s journey and how their experience here helped them along their way,” said Rhoten. “These women bring a wide range of experiences and it will be great for all members of the campus community to hear what they have to say.”

“We hope to draw in young people and have them see these women as inspirations — to show students what they can do with a Cal State Fullerton education,” said Stein. “All of these women have different degrees and have taken different career paths. All are doing things that they may not have thought they would be doing, but they have become successful at their careers and are leaders to those who will follow not only in their footsteps but along their own paths.”

Moderating the panel discussion will be Michele Ruiz (B.A. communications ’88), former KNBC reporter and president and co-founder of Saber Hacer. The panel discussion will be held in Portola Pavilion of the Titan Student Union.

Prior to the panel presentation will be a 2:30 to 3:45 p.m. reception for campus members at the Golleher Alumni House.

The program, funded by a 50th anniversary Golden Ideas Initiative, also is sponsored by the Women’s Center.

For more about the guest speakers and the event, go to http://www.fullerton.edu/50/events/women_leadership/index.html, or call the Women’s Center at 278-3194.