Description

The Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce, in partnership with our sponsors are pleased to present our next Women in Leadership Lecture, Afternoon Tea. This series of events focuses on the female leadership in Clark County and beyond, with the goal of creating a space to cultivate and celebrate the leadership qualities of professional women committed to excellence, collaboration, and tenacity.
 
Event Overview and Timeline:

On October 30th, we will welcome guests to a 3:00 p.m. social hour to kick off a tea at the Black Pearl. 
 
At 3:30 p.m., guests will  enjoy a full afternoon tea service with specialty foods from Simply Thyme Catering and a mix of hand crafted tea prepared by Jennifer Peterson, a certified tea specialist.
 
During the tea, guests will be welcomed by our host and emcee. Our host will moderate between our three featured speakers, who will share their leadership experiences within seven focus areas: upbringing, education, challenges and adversity, career pathways, mentorship, passions, and life-balance. Our speakers, host, emcee, and sponsors exemplify the saying, "When there's a WILL, there's a way."
 
Following the afternoon tea will be a VIP reception (including a beverage) at 5:00 p.m. for an opportunity to connect with speakers and attendees.
 

Photo by Kate Singh Photography

Lee Rafferty, the WILL host and former Executive Director of Vancouver's Downtown Association and 2017 recipient of the Chamber's John S. McKibbin Leadership Legacy Award. Lisa Schauer, the WILL emcee and former COO of MacKay Sposito, chairwoman of HROC, and new partner at PointNorth. Erin Toman, presenting sponsor of WILL and Land Design Manager of MacKay Sposito.

Introducing Our Speakers: 

Nan Henriksen, First female Mayor of Camas & Chair of the Freeholders (designed the new Clark County Charter)

Nan Henriksen has had a profound effect on Southwest Washington. Not only has she improved the community, she has helped shape it?most significantly as the first woman elected mayor of Camas from 1983 to 1992, and later as the chair of the Board of Freeholders, which drafted the county home-rule charter. Henriksen is widely praised in the community for her ability to be calm and thoughtful in her approach to difficult problems.

Recently, National Public Radio interviewed Henriksen about her role in helping Camas prepare for the day when the Georgia Pacific paper mill would no longer be the primary economic driver in the city. Her work is largely credited with Camas becoming a model for other cities as they had to transition away from traditional industries. She had a vision for diversifying the economy and paved the way for high-tech companies like WaferTech, Underwriter Laboratories, and Linear Technology to locate in Camas.

Henriksen came out of retirement to run for and then lead the 15-member Freeholder Board that was charged with writing Clark County's first home-rule charter. Despite diverse opinions and needs, Henriksen helped the group find common ground and presented a final plan that was approved by voters in 2014.

Along the way, Henriksen has been awarded the Clark County First Citizen Award (2015), Statesman of the Year by Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (2014), and Camas Political Leader of the Century in 2006. She was first named a Woman of Achievement, which was the original name of the Iris Awards, in 1995, and received its Legacy Award in 2018.

Annette Cleveland, First woman elected to serve in the State Senate in the 49th Legislative District

Born and raised in the 49th Legislative District, Annette comes to Olympia a champion and advocate of education, small business, affordable health care, and senior and veterans affairs.

Annette brings over 30 years of public and private sector knowledge, including valuable experience on the Association of Washington Business Board of Directors, the Washington State Hospital Association?s Public Policy Advisory Group and the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce?s Public Policy Advisory Committee.

Most recently associated with a non-profit health system, Annette has also worked with the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce and at C-TRAN, the local public transit system in Clark County. As both a leader in her community and a mother, Annette approaches challenges head-on to find common sense and compassionate solutions.

Access to housing, a quality education, affordable health care and family-wage jobs helps build strong, healthy communities. Annette views these pillars as her top priorities, and believes they are best addressed through a balanced approach that starts with education and follows through with good jobs, not just for those in the 49th District but in communities across the state.

Annette lives in Vancouver with her husband and daughter.

Patty Murray, First woman elected to serve the State of Washington in the US Senate in Washington DC

As Washington state's senior Senator, Patty Murray has a proven track record spanning more than two decades of fighting for Washington state families in the United States Senate. Serving as a member of Senate 2012, Patty has established herself as a tireless and effective leader on education, transportation, budget issues, port security, healthcare, women, and veterans issues.

In addition to being the first female Senator from Washington state, Patty served as the first female Chair of the Senate Veteran' Affairs Committee during the 112th Congress and served as the first female Chair of the Senate Budget Committee during the 113th Congress. She is currently Ranking Member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee.

Never planning to enter politics, in the 1980?s a state politician told her she "couldn't make a difference" when she went to Olympia as a parent to advocate for a local preschool program targeted by state budget cuts. In 1992, she ran for the United States Senate as a voice for Washington families who were not being heard. Dramatically outspent, Patty ran a grassroots campaign of family, friends, supporters, and public interest groups to beat a 10-year veteran of the U.S. House of Representatives. Patty was re-elected in 1998, 2004, and 2010.

Patty met her husband of over 40 years, Rob Murray, while attending Washington State University. They have two grown children, Sara and Randy. Patty enjoys fishing, exploring Washington state's great outdoors and spending time with her family.

With Special Guest Speaker: Beth Osborn, Deputy State Director for Senator Patty Murray