Panel Discussion With Community Leaders to Mark Women’s History Month

In honor of Women’s History Month in March, the City of Naperville and North Central College will partner to host “Coming Together to Lead Well: A Community Conversation.” The free event, open to all, will take place from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, in the Madden Theater on the lower level of the Wentz Concert Hall and Fine Arts Center, 171 E. Chicago Ave.

Registration is required for the free event. To find more details and to register, please visit the Naperville website.

A panel of distinguished women will share their experiences, followed by an empowering, interactive dialogue with the assembled audience of campus and community members. The aim is for women from many walks of life to share in conversation, uplifting women’s well-being and envisioning a community that helps fulfill the City’s mission to create “an inclusive community that values diversity.” Audience participation and questions are encouraged and welcomed.

The panel will include Dr. Anita Thomas, president of North Central College; Becca Bruner, co-pastor of Knox Presbyterian Church; Anita Knotts, founder and chief executive officer of the Lotus Women’s Institute; Nicole Lawton, librarian at Naperville Public Library; Joohi Tahir, co-founder and executive director of Muhsen, a nonprofit that aims to build better lives for adults and children with disabilities; and Diana Torres Hawken, co-founder of Alliance of Latinos Motivating Action in the Suburbs (ALMAS).

The moderator will be community leader Nicki Anderson, who has served as CEO of the Naperville Area Chamber of Commerce and director of the L.E.A.D.S. Women’s Leadership Program at Benedictine University. A “Get to Know Someone” reception will be held immediately following the panel discussion.

The event is part of several inclusive community conversations to be hosted by the City, in partnership with other organizations, in 2024 as part of its “Embracing Community: Expanding Our Dialogue, Deepening Our Understanding” series. The conversations will include storytelling, as well as opportunities for the community to participate in intentional, respectful, and ongoing dialogue to deepen understanding while fostering inclusion among generations, cultures, and those with different experiences.