Renowned Attorneys to Speak About Being Women of Color in the Workplace on March 28

BRISTOL, R.I. – For women of color, rising to leadership positions in the workplace may have additional barriers beyond breaking through the infamous glass ceiling. Issues of race and gender are a powerful coupling that affect pathways to success and promotion in a multitude of ways.

On Wednesday, March 28, members of the campus community are invited to spend an evening with two successful women of color in the fields of law and journalism, as part of RWU’s year-long series, “Talking About Race, Gender and Power,” and the President’s Distinguished Speaker Series.

A panel discussion, “Not Just Race, Not Just Gender: Women of Color in the Workplace,” will explore the workplace experiences of Tina Tchen and Adrienne Lawrence.

Tchen is a partner at Chicago’s Buckley Sandler law firm and former Assistant to President Obama, Executive Director of the White House Council on Women and Girls, and Chief of Staff to First Lady Michelle Obama. Her experience on legal issues within the workplace includes serving as a leader of Buckley Sandler’s Workplace Cultural Compliance Practice, counseling companies on issues of gender inequity, sexual harassment, and lack of diversity; and spearheading the Time’s Up Legal Defense Fund, providing legal support to women and men who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace.

Lawrence is a legal analyst and attorney sought after by national media outlets for her expert opinion on legal issues in sports and pop culture involving crime and punishment, sexualized violence and domestic violence.She has appeared on ESPN's SportsCenter and national ESPNRadio shows, has written for ESPN.com, ESPNW, The Undefeated, and has served as a guest on CBS Radio's 670 The Score and Burn It All Down. She also serves as a guest speaker on issues impacting women in business and women empowerment.

Their March 28 presentation will take place at 4 p.m. on RWU’s Bristol campus in Feinstein College of Arts & Sciences Room 157. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required. For more information, call (401) 254-3166.

Launched in 2011, the President’s Distinguished Speakers Series at RWU invites thought leaders from a wide range of disciplines to share perspectives, inspire conversations and enrich the intellectual lives of students, faculty and staff as well as members of the local community. Each guest is invited to devote much of the daylong visit to direct engagement with students in classroom sessions, offering RWU students unique opportunities for one-on-one interactions with some of the world’s leading authors, scholars, artists and public servants.