H-E-B presents UH Friends of Women’s Studies 20th annual Table Talk



Photo credit: Sarah Gish

The University of Houston Friends of Women’s Studies (FWS) will host the 20th Annual Table Talk luncheon on Wednesday, March 22, at the Hilton Americas-Houston hotel. This lively lunch brings together a dynamic and diverse group of Houston women in a format that builds connections. The luncheon supports the Women’s, Gender & Sexuality Studies Program (WGSS) in the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences. This year’s marquee sponsor is H-E-B.

Table Talk 2017 will honor sixty Houston women of accomplishment from many fields and backgrounds.  One at each table, these conversationalists will share their stories with the guests seated with them.  To date, the FWS has honored over 800 women leaders from the Houston area.

In honor of the program’s 25th anniversary, sponsors who purchase tables before February 24th are invited to meet the conversationalists at a kickoff event being held at Wortham House.

Co-chairs for Table Talk 2017 include Sippi Khurana, MD; Terry Morales; Misti Pace-Krahl and Angela Shippy, MD; with honorary co-chair Winell Herron.

Elizabeth Gregory, director of WGSS says, “Gender rules structure everyone’s lives, but they’re shifting fast to meet the new realities of work, technology, and civic life. Committed to understanding these changes and shaping them toward equity, WGSS is distinguished by its ongoing connection to the Houston community. Drawing on the diversity of Houston present in all UH classrooms, our courses consider gender and sexuality as they are inflected by race, class, age and ability.  We have experienced major growth with the recent launch of the major, meeting the needs of students from across our campus and across disciplines, who recognize that understanding gender dynamics gives them a leg up in the workforce and in their relationships, in a world where every other news story has a gender thread.”

“The Friends are made up of Houston community members committed to supporting WGSS, a dynamic and interdisciplinary program that deals with key life and workplace issues,” says Leah Barton, Friends of Women’s Studies President. “Like all Houstonians, our members know a lot about gender first hand through their work and life experience.  FWS connects the Houston community to UH students, who will form our talent pipeline for the next 25 years and beyond. Activating Houston women as a resource for the next generation, the Friends are working to build a fair future for all.  There’s much still to do but lots to build on in Houston, with its unusual history of sustained women’s leadership in many realms over decades.  We look forward to continuing to develop our understanding of gender’s evolving role in society—on campus and across the Houston region. Supporting Table Talk is an investment in the Houston workforce of tomorrow—and a great time!”

FWS provide financial support to WGSS, supporting scholarships, cutting-edge research on women and gender, community programming, and historic preservation. The Friends group is a national model of community/university partnership for its support of scholarship, of its archival arm -the Shuart Women’s Archive, and of its programming. 

The UH Women's Studies Program opened in 1991, with one minor offered. Twenty-five years later, WGSS offers a major, two minors, and a graduate certificate.  Courses are taught by an interdisciplinary affiliated faculty numbering 70+. The FWS, also founded in 1991, support the WGSS Program’s research, teaching and campus and community activities through financial and volunteer efforts.

WHAT:
University of Houston Friends of Women’s Studies Table Talk 2017

WHEN:
Table Talk Luncheon:
Wednesday, March 2211:00 a.m. Reception
Noon to 1:30 p.m. Conversations over Lunch

WHO:
Individual Tickets $150; Tables are available from $2,000-$25,000
For more information, contact Ayanna McCloud at 713-743-3773 or amccloud@uh.edu

WHERE:
Hilton Americas-Houston Hotel
1600 Lamar
Houston, TX 77010