P. Gay Baughman ’81 recalls how she and other women were treated differently than male students.��

“I’d be the only female taking a particular oral exam, and the professor would ask me all the questions,” she said. “I dealt with what seemed like unfairness by changing my personality. I became very quiet, because if you became small maybe they wouldn’t notice you as much.”  

Upon graduation, Baughman said she found her voice again as a business owner, setting up a dental practice in Louisville’s Fairdale community and, as someone who loves learning, participating in numerous continuing education courses. Throughout her career, Baughman found support through the Kentucky Association of Women Dentists.  

“My son was born in 1986. I had no family nearby and my husband traveled. Through this organization, we would share with one another about how to manage the challenges of being both a dental professional and a mother,” she said. “Women carry the weight and responsibilities of parenthood differently than men. Even among dental students who become parents while in school, it is more difficult for women.”  

After 28 successful years in private practice, Baughman joined the School of Dentistry faculty in 2007, determined to give female dental students a better experience than her own. Baughman has helped female students gain a sense of belonging in part by launching a student chapter of the .��

Third-year dental student Nikki Sanders is president of UofL’s AAWD chapter.��

“I have always been a huge advocate of women supporting women,” Sanders said. “We provide an outlet for discussions about the gender disparities that still exist in our profession, advocate for more equality for all women and take part in efforts to support women outside the profession through outreach, including clothing drives for the Center for Women and Families.” 

Sanders says she’s grateful for the lifelong friends in AAWD and for Baughman, whom she considers a mentor. In return, Baughman hopes female dental students now have an easier path forward and she is glad to be a part of their lives.��

“I get up every day and say ‘I’m going to dental school!’ – I love these kids,” she said. “I hope I am half as good for them as they are for me.” 

The two will be recognized as Adult Achievers in the YMCA Black Achievers 43^rd Annual Celebration happening Feb. 26. at the Galt House Hotel.

Jennings is the first Black woman to have earned tenure at UofL’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences.��As site co-director for the National Science Foundation supported UofL Center for Health Organization Transformation, Jennings brings expertise in organizational research and strategic management. She studies how organizations identify and implement strategic initiatives to improve access to and quality of health care.��

Jennings earned a PhD in Health Services Administration with a concentration in Strategic Management from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a Master of Public Administration degree from the University of West Georgia, and a Bachelor of Business Administration in Economics from the University of Georgia.

Jennings serves on the Commission on the Status of Women and is co-chair of Campus Climate and Cultural Competency for Employees, a subcommittee of the UofL Campus Environment Team, which advises the university president on diversity, campus climate and environmental issues. She is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., and recently concluded her three-year term as a board member for the Chestnut Street YMCA.

In her role, Gully brings passion to her work with college students and cultivating a safe, equitable and inclusive space for all students at the university. She is an adviser to student organizations including the Black Student Union and the Society of Porter Scholars, in addition to serving on various campus-wide committees and roles including Staff Senate, the Commission on the Status of Women, Black Faculty & Staff Association and the Commission on Diversity & Racial Equity.

Gully is pursuing a doctoral degree in College Student Personnel as a member of the Melanin 5, the first all-women of color cohort pursuing a doctorate degree at UofL. Her research interests include identifying and implementing student success strategies to enrich the experience of Black students, ensuring succes at the university and beyond.�� Gully previously earned a Master of ����ֱ�� in Counseling and ����ֱ��al Psychology with a concentration in College Student Personnel and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology.

The YMCA Black Achievers event will also celebrate the outstanding accomplishments of local students, in addition to other professionals and community partners.

Speakers included Melissa Shuter, conference program chair and executive director of Business Operations; Toni Ganzel, dean of the School of Medicine and interim executive dean for Health Sciences; Dawne Gee, WAVE 3 News anchor and host; and Maryanne Honeycutt Elliott, an instructor in the Delphi Center. Participants were also treated to intermittent mindfulness exercises led by Karen Newton, and a mindfulness workshop, led by Katrina Kaufman, both from UofL Health Promotions.

Toni Ganzel

Toni Ganzel talked about her career path, which led to her becoming the first female dean of the School of Medicine in its 180-year existence. She grew up in an Air Force family, which taught her how to be adaptable. When she was young, she wanted to be Wonder Woman, complete with red boots. When she realized Wonder Woman was fictional, she wanted to be a flight attendant, also complete with red boots.

In seventh grade, however, Ganzel started to become interested in science.

“I didn’t want to go to med school, but I did well on my MCAT so I thought ‘what the heck?’” she said.

Eventually, Ganzel also received her MBA as she thought it would help her better serve patients and the medical field in general.��

When Ganzel was approached to take on the then-interim dean role in 2012, her response was “Who, me?” She said her response would be much different now. “Why not me?” she said.

Ganzel said the sweet spot of leadership is when passion, goals and skillset meet opportunity and timing. She also noted her optimism about the future of UofL.

“We’re at an inflection point,” she said. “Bright days are ahead.”

Dawne Gee

Dawne Gee, who identified as a “proud UofL alum” during her presentation, discussed the challenges she has overcome since fighting a cancer diagnosis in 2014 and experiencing a stroke on Nov. 25, 2016, noting she can stand for about 26 minutes at a time and is still recovering. She said being mindful of her attitude is what has helped her most through these struggles.

“Attitude is like your underwear. You get up, you pick what you’re going to wear and if you don’t like it, you change it. You either put on a pair that is comfy or you put on a pair that rides you all day,” she joked. “Happiness is a choice. The only difference between a good day and a bad day is attitude.”

Gee encouraged attendees to go on a “mental health diet,” in which they go seven consecutive days saying nothing but good things. She admits she starts this diet over all the time.

“If I was still in that place I was in when I had the stroke, when I couldn’t walk … I wrapped myself in depression like a coat,” Gee said, holding back tears. “One day I made a decision to stop. Whether you think you can or you can’t, you’re right. But you have to claim your ‘I am.’ And I am whole.”

Gee also discussed her career at WAVE, which she joined in 1994. At first, she was told she would never be on TV, but she persisted.

“They didn’t know me. I applied to WAVE nine times,” she said. “Every time I hear someone saying ‘you’re not going to do it,’ I just cut that chatter out. We have to decide for ourselves what we can do.”

Gee also warned attendees to be aware of what others may be going through.

“I guarantee someone in this room – someone at your table – is going through a battle you know nothing about,” she said. “If someone snaps at you, cut them a break. You don’t know what they’re going through.”

Finally, Gee told participants to take care of themselves and “be in the moment you’re in because it won’t come again.”

Maryanne Honeycutt Elliott

Maryanne Honeycutt Elliott guided participants through the DiSC assessments they were tasked with taking prior to the conference. DiSC scores profiles based on a series of questions and ranks them based on potential strengths and weaknesses in Dominance (results-oriented, decisive, independent), Influence (enthusiastic, talkers), Steadiness (stable, agreeable, helpful) and Conscientious (detailed, orderly, persistent).

“We can flex into any style, we just tend to come back to the comfortable domain,” Elliott explained. “DiSC is designed to grow self-awareness. Part of leadership is knowing yourself well. Self-awareness is the key to working effectively with others. Great teams are comprised of people all over the DiSC chart.”

Videos/statistics

The conference also included videos and slides created to make attendees think about perceptions, reality and leadership attributes.

For example, women speak about 20,000 words a day, or about 13,000 more words than men. In 2015, women made, on average, 80 cents to the dollar. The women’s labor force participation rate is projected to be 57 percent by 2020.  

Commercials shown included Pantene’s “Not Sorry Shine Strong;” Always’ “Like a Girl;” and Dove’s “You’re More Beautiful Than You Think.”

Also, Drew Dudley’s “Leading with Lollipops” TEDx talk was shown and is embedded below.

The 6th annual Pathways Women’s Leadership Conference is scheduled for May 18, 2018.��