Dr. Kathy Magliato and Bonnie St. John, trailblazers in the fields of medicine and sports, will deliver bookend talks at the Women’s Leadership Conference scheduled Sept. 7 at Mount St. Mary’s College Chalon Campus in Brentwood.With a theme of “The Power in You,” the conference takes place at a pivotal time, with women holding fewer political and business positions of leadership in Los Angeles. Mount St. Mary’s latest Report on the Status of Women and Girls in California‚Ñ¢ reveals L.A. trends extend statewide. Statewide, just 9 percent of California’s mayors are female. Only 3 percent of the state’s CEOs are women, and California females comprise just 11 percent of corporate boards.Mount St. Mary’s Women’s Leadership Conference aims to change those types of statistics. Speakers will explore topics such as: how to turn passion into profit, strategies for work-life balance and leadership lessons learned by some of L.A.’s leading women. Participants will have the chance to connect with successful women leaders from a wide range of professions.Dr. Magliato, one of the few female cardiothoracic heart surgeons in the United States, is the director of women’s cardiac services at St. John’s Medical Center in Santa Monica. St. John, the first African American to win Olympic medals in ski racing during the 1984 Paralympics, went on to become a White House economic adviser, media personality, business owner and a prolific author.Other speakers include Araceli Campos, president of the Los Angeles Commission on the Status of Women; Kimberly Freeman, director of community relations for the Southern California Gas Company; Rachel Hollis, founder of the lifestyle blog MyChicLife.com and the L.A.-based event-planning firm Chic Events; Gwen Miller, executive vice president and manager of City National Bank’s private client services; and Helen Iris Torres, executive director of Hispanas Organized for Political Equality.The conference takes place 9 a.m.-3 p.m., with registration beginning at 8 a.m., and is open to the public. The MSMC Chalon Campus is located at 12001 Chalon Road, Brentwood.Registration is $50 and includes sessions, networking breakfast, lunch and parking. To register, or to learn more about speakers and sessions, visit www.msmc.la.edu/WLC.
