Ginger Zee, ABC’s Chief Meteorologist and NY Times best-selling author, to headline 2021 Lehigh Valley Women’s Summit.

 

Lehigh Valley, PA – Cedar Crest College, the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce’s Women’s Business Council, and United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley are presenting Lehigh Valley’s most powerful and interactive virtual women’s event – the 2021 Lehigh Valley Women’s Summit! Hosted online on Thursday, June 3 from 11 am – 3:45 pm, this year’s event, “Brighter Days – Forecasting Positive Change” focuses on women’s mental wellness.

The Lehigh Valley Women’s Summit is a day of inspiration, motivation and education for more than 600 women in the Lehigh Valley. 2021 keynote speakers are ABC’s Chief Meteorologist and NY Times best-selling author, Ginger Zee, and Air Products’ Sr. Vice President and Chief of Human Resources, Victoria Brifo. Attendees of the all-day event can expect a new highly interactive conference platform featuring powerful keynote addresses, real-time networking, a live vendor marketplace, and workshop sessions tailored to their needs.  “This event is truly one of the most inspirational events that we host throughout the year.  Although we will present this event virtually this year, we knew it was important to deliver the program to our Lehigh Valley women. This past year has been unparalleled in terms of stress that we’ve experienced, and our event will focus on that and how we move forward,” said Danielle Joseph, Executive Vice President, Diversity Councils of the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber.

Attendees have the power to decide which workshop sessions best fit their interests. From implementing technology and change to recognizing signs of domestic abuse and women’s health, nine live breakouts led by local experts will follow the keynote addresses.  This event is proudly supported by premier sponsor Capital BlueCross and presenting sponsor Lehigh Valley Health Network. For more information and updates, visit the event website lehighvalleywomen.com. 

KEYNOTES

Ginger Zee

Chief Meteorologist, ABC and Author of NY Times best-seller Natural Disaster: I Cover Them, I am One

When it comes to nationally recognized broadcasters, the phrase “I’ve seen it all” has become a tired cliché. In the case of Ginger Zee however, the expression doesn’t even scratch the surface. Known to millions as the face of ABC News’ meteorology team, as well as for her third place finish on the 22nd season of Dancing with the Stars, Zee’s story goes far beyond the confines of television.  With the release of her New York Times best-selling memoir Natural Disaster: I Cover Them, I am One, Zee brings readers along the immensely difficult path that took her from a depressed fledgling meteorologist to the first female chief network meteorologist at a network. After obtaining a B.S. in Meteorology from Valparaiso University, Zee worked her way up through various news outlets in the Midwest as a meteorologist and storm chaser. But as she puts it, by chasing these storms she was avoiding the real one brewing at home—a string of misguided relationships, including a horrifically abusive one that wouldn’t end until she was forced to call the police, and a deep soul search that lead her to check in to a mental health hospital ten days before starting her job at ABC. Zee was struggling with significant mental health issues that went undiagnosed until she entered that inpatient therapy and began—slowly but surely—to get her on track.

Ginger Zee is the chief meteorologist at ABC News. You see her covering the nation’s weather headlines on Good Morning America and across all ABC News broadcasts and digital platforms. She also hosts an ABC News original digital series, Food Forecast, focused on climate and its impact on agriculture.

 

Victoria Brifo

Sr. Vice President and Chief Human Resources, Air Products 

Victoria Brifo is responsible for leading all aspects of the company’s Human Resources organization, including HR Operations, Diversity and Inclusion, Talent Management, and Compensation and Benefits, as well as Global Health and Wellness, and Corporate Aviation and Corporate Transportation. Ms. Brifo joined Air Products in 2001 as site leader in Geismar, Louisiana, and progressed through a series of plant leadership positions before becoming Air Products’ Global Diversity director in 2005. She was named global manager of Electronics Operations in 2008 and moved to the Merchant Gases group in 2011 to lead the Generated Gases business. In 2014 Ms. Brifo assumed the global transformation lead role for Industrial Gases, where she was an integral part of the business’ organizational transformation and operational productivity initiatives. She subsequently was appointed vice president, Global Gases, followed by vice president, Equipment Sales, Plant Support and Central Procurement.  Ms. Brifo holds degrees in chemical engineering and political science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

About Cedar Crest College: Cedar Crest College is a liberal arts college, primarily for women, dedicated to the education of the next generation of leaders. Cedar Crest prepares students for life in a global community by educating the whole student as all stages of life and experience.

About the Greater Lehigh Valley Chamber’s Women’s Business Council: The Women’s Business Council strengthens the Greater Lehigh Valley by empowering, recognizing and inspiring women in business and the community. The Women’s Business Council provides information and a networking forum for women in management, professional and private enterprise. The Chamber’s mission is to improve the economy and quality of life in the Lehigh Valley Metropolitan Area. With nearly 5,000 members who employ more than 220,000, the Chamber is the largest in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and in the top six nationwide. Our thirty-plus affiliated chambers, councils and committees are On Every Main Street with more than 1,500 community focused volunteers who actively contribute, at the grass roots, to develop and achieve their respective and collective goals.

About the United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley: United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is one of 1,800 United Ways around the world. United Way partners include global, national and local businesses, nonprofits, civic and faith organizations, as well as educators, labor, health organizations, government and more. Out of all the United Ways across the globe, United Way of the Greater Lehigh Valley is in the top 40! In fact, our local United Way Alliance on Aging and our Community School model each won runner-up awards to the prestigious “Common Good Award” given by United Way Worldwide nationally to a United Way initiative that is making real change in the community. Nearly 2.6 million volunteers and 9.6 million donors around the world support United Way. Collectively, United Way raises more than $5 billion every year to create community solutions that improve life for everyone-impacting the lives of up to 50 million people every year.

 
Information provided to TVL by:
Danielle Joseph
Executive Vice President, Diversity Councils
https://www.lehighvalleychamber.org/

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