Rogers’ Women's History Month event brings powerful speakers together

04/16/21 04:25:pm

Since 1987, March has marked Women’s History Month as a time to celebrate the contributions of women throughout the world. This year, Rogers Behavioral Health held its first system-wide event for employees to commemorate this important month.

Karen Nelson, director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion, hosted the virtual celebration and began with a tribute to Theresa Rogers’ important role in the organization’s founding. She also discussed how, though 80% of the workforce at Rogers today is female, it remains important to recognize the month due to the struggles women have faced in the United States for centuries.

Following the land acknowledgment, Karen announced the winner of the inaugural “Unsung Shero” Award. The award was presented to Sue McKenzie Dicks, vice president, Healthy Culture, for her passionate work to destigmatize mental health and increase Rogers’ focus on equity, diversity, and inclusion.

“This recognition of my work and the career experiences that led to my role at Rogers really offers me an opportunity to express gratitude,” says Sue. “I find such hope that our team and so many other colleagues at Rogers have stepped forward to learn and grow in our ability to live our values of excellence, compassion, and accountability. I’m grateful to work with each of you as we seek to live these values with each other, the people we serve, and the communities we impact.”

The first guest speaker of the event was Dasha Kelly Hamilton, Wisconsin’s first African American poet laureate. Dedicating her first poem to all the little girls who were told “you talk too much,” Hamilton gave powerful performances of four pieces on topics ranging from childhood experiences to social justice.

Kim Effertz, chief operation officer, Southeast Wisconsin region, spoke on her experiences as the senior-most woman at Rogers, and introduced the keynote speaker, Dr. Le Ondra Clark Harvey.

Dr. Clark Harvey serves as the chief executive officer of the California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies and as executive director of the California Access Coalition. Her presentation, “Lean in…but don’t tip over! Women breaking barriers and prioritizing self-care,” discussed the role of women in the history of behavioral health, with a special focus on women of color. She also discussed wellness tips to help women continue self-care during the challenges of the pandemic.