April 10, 2009

Women's international careers focus of Felker series

Perry Yeatman will headline the 2009 Felker Leadership Series, themed Going Global. A registration and coffee hour is scheduled from 9-10 a.m. in Stewart Center, Room 302. The program will begin at 10 a.m. and will be followed by a noon luncheon in Purdue Memorial Union's west faculty lounge.

Yeatman, senior vice president for international corporate affairs and global issues management for Kraft Foods Inc., worked overseas for 10 years for two global communications firms before returning to the United States in 2000. By 36, she had become a senior executive in a Fortune 100 company.

In the book "Get Ahead by Going Abroad: A Woman's Guide to Fast-Track Career Success," which she wrote with Stacie Nevadomski Berdan, Yeatman advises women how they can accelerate their careers by being prepared to "go global" as companies expand international operations.

Other speakers will include:

* Liping Cai, associate dean for diversity and international programs in the College of Consumer and Family Sciences at Purdue. A tourism expert, Cai also directs the Purdue Tourism and Hospitality Research Center and is the senior academic adviser to the study on the China market. The study is commissioned by the Travel Industry Association of America. Under his direction, the college's internationalization and diversity initiatives have increased significantly.

* Carolyn Curiel, chief of staff, office of the president of Purdue. A former White House speechwriter, U.S. ambassador to Belize, and member of the New York Times editorial board, Curiel joined Purdue in October 2008 to oversee implementation of the university's strategic plan and the development of a new public policy institute.

* Emma Preuschl, silver medalist, U.S. rowing team at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games. Diagnosed with Erb's Palsy at 18 months, Preuschl is a 2008 Purdue graduate with a degree in dietetics and nutrition, fitness and health.

The Felker Leadership Series was created in 1993 to honor the contributions of Donald W. Felker, who was dean of the College of Consumer and Family Sciences from 1987 until his death in 1992.

The cost to attend the Felker Series and luncheon is $40 per person. The cost to attend the program without lunch is $30. For more information or to register, call Consumer and Family Sciences Development and Alumni Relations at 800-535-7303 or 765-494-7890 or e-mail cfsalums@purdue.edu  

Writer: Greg McClure, 765-494-9394, gmcclure@purdue.edu

Source: Denise Buhrmester, director of external relations for College of Consumer and Family Sciences, 765-494-7890, dmbuhrmester@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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