Dallas Women’s Foundation President/CEO Ros Dawson Thompson has hardly had time to wave bye-bye to the hundreds attending last night’s Leadership Forum and Awards Dinner at the Omni, and she’s already busy announcing the speaker for the DWF’s 32nd Annual Luncheon.
Can you say “paleobiologist”? Shoot! Spellcheck can’t even handle that one. But it’s a word that impresses those in the know. A paleobiologist is one who specializes in “a growing and comparatively new discipline which combines the methods and findings of the natural science biology with the methods and finding of the earth science paleontology.” And the leader of the pack is Dr. Hope Jahren, the “award-winning scientist, one of Time Magazine’s Top 100 Influential People, best-selling author and advocate for female equality in STEM.”
Time described Hope as
“a rare breed of scientist who is both a leader in her field and a great writer, but Hope Jahren is both. (She) has built a career and a reputation in science by unearthing secrets hidden in fossilized plant life. Her work has resulted in at least 70 studies in dozens of journals, but it’s also given her a platform—a megaphone, really—to talk about something else: widespread sexual harassment and discrimination in science. On her blog, in op-eds and in her new memoir, Lab Girl, which debuted on the New York Times best-seller list, Jahren wields her influence to call out a culture that has caused women to flee the field she so loves. That’s why she does it: she loves science. And whether she’s writing about lab funding, discrimination or deciduous trees, she has a way of making you love it too.”
Somehow Ros and Luncheon Co-Chairs Shonn Brown and Lisa Singleton have managed to get Hope to make time in her busy schedule to be the keynoter at the Foundation’s principal fundraiser on Friday, October 20, at the Hilton Anatole.
According to Ros, ““We have a proud history of presenting great thought leaders and doers of our time as the keynote speakers for our annual luncheon. Dr. Jahren is no exception. She is a brilliant scientist whose achievements as a paleobiologist are rivaled by her achievements as an author and advocate for gender equity in science. Having experienced firsthand the challenges of gender bias, she is dedicated to using her voice and her story to encourage more women to pursue and achieve success in the sciences. Dr. Jahren is widely acknowledged as a strong woman using her exceptional talents to make a better world for all women and girls.”
Even before the news got out, the following sponsors were on board:
- Platinum sponsor — U.S. Trust
- Speaker sponsor — Nancy Ann and Ray Hunt
- Emerald sponsors — AT&T, Ashlee and Chris Kleinert and Toyota
- Gold sponsor — Phyllis Bernstein
- Silver sponsors — Veree Brown, Melissa Fetter, Freeman, Cecilia and Tim Norwood and Julia Simon
Get your place reserved now, so you can impress your friends with the fact that you’re lunching with one of Time’s most influential people. Individual tickets and sponsorships are available here!
* Photo credit: Ressler Photography