Fernanda Gallo-Freschi, Zonta International Vice President (2022-2024)
Zonta Club of Milano-Sant Ambrogio, Italy, District 28
Motto: Resourcefulness and generosity.
Fernanda is a second-generation Zontian and has been a member since 2010, progressively taking on leadership roles at the club, district and international levels, most recently having served as 2020-2022 International Director.
After working for almost 40 years in technical male-dominated fields as a civil and environmental engineer, Fernanda developed a deep personal experience in how to overcome gender workplace inequalities. She speaks four languages and has gained multicultural awareness and enhanced leadership skills while being responsible for joint ventures with global partners in IT and research and development. In the last years, she turned to consultancy in the field of environment, workplace safety and sustainability, recently adding workplace gender equality auditing to her professional competencies.
In addition to her professional and Zonta experiences, Fernanda has also held other community service leadership positions, particularly in multicultural education. Throughout her experiences, Fernanda has led by example. As the COVID-19 pandemic challenged all members, Fernanda looked for ways to collaborate, continue with events and share tools. For this biennium, Fernanda is fostering long-sighted strategic planning to ensure the sustainability of Zonta in the future. Membership is key. While long-established women’s rights are shaken, she wants Zonta to be bold in its advocacy: involving more youth, enhancing alliances with peer organizations, and facilitating national actions in countries across districts.
Fernanda was with us for the entire Conference (thanks to a hot-spot connection) and presented two reports: State of the World for Women and Girls and Strategic Plan for 2030 and beyond
Kristen van Ginhoven – “I may be one person, but I can be one person who makes a difference.”
Kristen’s messages are worth hearing and reviewing! Not only her background and the birth and success of WAM, but also her thoughts on Cultural Humility
Positive Psychology/Character Strength, Listening, Responding, and managing your own growth and development.
Below is the audio from Kristen’s talk and click HERE for her script.
Kristen is a leader, theatre director, educator, change-maker and social entrepreneur who works at the intersection of arts and activism. A dual Canadian/American citizen, Kristen is based in the Berkshires of Western Massachusetts, where she regularly enjoys the many outdoor and cultural wonders. Kristen is the co-founder and Producing Artistic Director of WAM Theatre, a professional theatre company that works at the intersection of arts and activism. WAM creates theatre for gender equity and has a vision of theatre as philanthropy. In fulfillment of its philanthropic mission, WAM donates a portion of the proceeds from their Mainstage productions to carefully se lected recipients. Since WAM’s founding in 2010, they have donated more than $90,000 to 25 local and global organizations taking action for gender equity in areas such as girls’ education, teen pregnancy prevention, sexual trafficking awareness, midwife training, and more. Zonta has been one of those recipients.
As WAM’s Producing Artistic Director, Kristen’s selected directing credits include What the Constitution Means to Me, Ann, The Bakelite Masterpiece, In Darfur and Emilie. She is a participant of the Michael Langham Workshop for Classical Direction at the Stratford Festival of Canada, the Lincoln Center Director’s Lab and has directed and performed at regional theatres across the US and Canada, including Neptune Theatre in Halifax, where she got her start as a professional actor. Kristen trained at Dalhousie University (BA), Queen’s University (BEd) and Emerson College (MA).
Growing WAM Theatre and being honored by the Berkshire Theatre Critics Association with the prestigious Larry Murray Award, presented to a person or theatre project that advances social, political, or community issues in Berkshire County are two of Kristen’s proudest achievements. An artist, feminist and highly sensitive person, she values healthy practices like meditating and walking, time affluence and social connection.
Natasha Breward was the 2022 Jane M. Klausman Women in Business scholarship award winner for Halifax CA and District 1. She is pursuing a Master of Business Administration (MBA in Finance), Dalhousie University, Canada, and holds a master’s degree in pharmacy, University of Saskatchewan, Canada, as well as a bachelor’s degree in pharmacology, McGill University, Canada
Natasha has always been passionate about innovation and is excited to apply the knowledge gained from her MBA to her current role as business development coordinator with the Nova Scotia Health Innovation Hub. In this role, she fosters and supports innovation in healthcare and works with many facilitators in the health sector to improve the health system for patients, clinicians, caregivers and staff. Additionally, she works with and helps local health start-ups, and supports health innovation in Nova Scotia.
As Dalhousie University’s Health Innovation Sandbox manager, Natasha facilitated innovation and entrepreneurship programming and events for health and life science students. A constant advocate for gender equality, she always ensured her programming had equal representation for women. After completing her MBA, Natasha plans to continue her work at Nova Scotia Health and enter the leadership stream. This will allow her to continue to make positive changes in Canadian health innovation and improve health outcomes for Canadians.
Emma Norton
“Making our buildings better – how it helps climate, health, and the economy”
Motivated by the climate emergency, Emma has been working in Canada’s energy sector for nearly a decade, specifically in the areas of energy efficiency and deep energy retrofits. She is currently working as the Operations Director for the ReCover Initiative and the Atlantic Director for the Climate Emergency Unit.
Emma has a certificate in Building Science and Net Zero Building Design from Yestermorrow Design/Building School in Vermont. She achieved the University Medal in Environment, Sustainability and Society (ESS), and combined honours in ESS and International Development Studies from the University of King’s College/ Dalhousie University. She holds her levels 1 and 2 in Co-Resolve, Deep Democracy Facilitation. Previously Emma worked at QUEST, a community energy planning non-profit, and before that she worked on the Energy Team at the Ecology Action Centre, Nova Scotia’s environmental watchdog.
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Debbie Adams – – “Around the World Learning”
Debbie is an inspiration.
Below is the audio from her talk and click here to see her PowerPoint slides.
Debbie Adams remains loyal to her humble roots as she inspires others to dream big dreams. Sit back and grab your tea. Don’t expect any sugar in your brew; her no-nonsense approach reflects upon a life that was not easy. She makes no excuses but uses every obstacle as an opportunity for learning.
She is a veteran, a 3x published author, and owner of PeopleCan Training and Development. Some call her a dark horse and others refer to her as a renaissance woman but what we know for certain is that she doesn’t know her place. As a mechanic who has been to law school, she hopes to inspire you to dust off your dream and get cracking.