Date: Fri 08-May-1998

Publication: Bee

Author: KAAREN

Quick Words:

Kathy-Beals-BPW

Full Text:

Sandy Hook Woman Named State BPW Young Careerist

(with cuts)

Kathleen Beals of Sandy Hook has been named the Connecticut Federation of

Business & Professional Women's Clubs' 1998 Young Careerist. Ms Beals, who is

a member of the Newtown BPW Club, will compete for the national award in

Orlando, Fla., in July.

More than 150 women from across Connecticut attended the 77th annual state BPW

convention on May 1-3 at the Southbury Hilton.

The Young Careerist program was started in 1964 to recognize leadership skills

in young professional women. One winner is selected from each of the four BPW

districts in the state to compete in a speak-off at the state convention. This

year's state judges were Probate Judge Diane Yamin of Danbury; Amy W.

Ottilige, BPW state president for Rhode Island; and Janet Petosa, president of

Global Recruiters.

A graduate of the University of Connecticut, Kathy Beals is employed by Excel

Partnership in Sandy Hook and also is the owner of her own digital media

consulting business, Keystone Technologies.

Her speak-off topic was "What do you envision the world to look like for

working women in the new millennium?"

The new world is being shaped by the revolution in technology, Ms Beals said,

and working women will either learn to build on the opportunities this new

environment creates or be crushed under the weight of its challenges.

"In the new millennium, every generation of women throughout their working

life will have to re-train and adapt to changing work environments on an

almost continual basis," she said. "These changes will impact what women can

do in life. In both life and leisure, I believe women will increasingly find

that success turns on using new forms of information and communication."

"Wealth creation, as well as full social participation will require women to

organize and use information to create new knowledge," she said.

"Our mission for the next millennium should be focused on promoting and

expanding educational opportunities to ensure working women possess the

knowledge and skills necessary to compete in a global economy and exercise the

rights and responsibility of citizenship."

The other candidates in the speak-off were Janet S. Giannopoulos of the

Greater Milford local, Krystin A. Konow of the northeastern Connecticut local,

and Jennifer M. Carrescia of the Wallingford local.

The convention featured panel discussions on "Domestic Violence Costs Women

and Business" and "Gender Justice for All in $ and Sense." Panelists included

a Domestic Violence Court judge, speaker from the Connecticut Coalition

Against Domestic Violence, a deputy states attorney, Stop The Hate program

director from the Liz Claiborne Company, representatives of the Coalition for

Pay Equity, and Linda MacKay, author of "Gender Justice," a program which came

out of the women's Beijing Conference.

New state officers were installed on Saturday evening. The new officers are

Shelley Maloney, president; Bonnie Lee Rabe, president elect; Gail

Hill-Williams, first vice president; Mary Bentley, second vice president;

Denise Frederick, corresponding secretary; Kathy Henry, recording secretary;

Dawn Marie Portoff, treasurer; Antoinette Roach, assistant treasurer; Elaine

Hendrickson, nominations chairperson; Patricia Papini, District I director;

Gloria Hutchinson, District II director; Kathleen Kelly-Gournique, District

III director, and Betty von Liebermann, District IV director.

The convention held a special memorial service on Saturday for the late Birthe

Melville, a charter member of Newtown BPW when the club began in 1981. A woman

of issues, she attended the BPW international convention in Kenya in 1991.

Besides her involvement in BPW, she was actively involved in many

organizations in Newtown and active in the Democratic party until her death

last year.