Join us for REAL Talk, A new twist on the Virtual Colloquium! Real Talk is an action-packed, inspirational, and women-led series.
Thursday, November 4, 2021, from 8:30am to 10:00am
Virtual Event
Price $39/$10 for students
Real Talk includes 90 minutes of short talks focusing on Resilience, Empowerment, Affirmation, and Leadership. The short talks will be structured through a storytelling format “talk less, show more,” approach. Below defines our focus topics.
- Resilience is one’s capacity to recover quickly from difficulties. It connotes someone who is tough yet flexible. Resilience doesn’t imply that we always handle adversity well, it means that we come back—that we resume our shape and take our place in the world with new experiences and knowledge for the next part of our journey.
- Empowerment refers to the process of becoming stronger and more confident. It can also refer to that act of granting power or authority. We often hear of empowerment in terms of career or life choices. Empowerment implies that there is a transfer or assumption of power from one being to another. There are stories of empowerment leading to creation, change, reinvention, and wellbeing.
- Affirmation is an action that is grounded in truth and positivity. It connotes strength and requires witnesses. When someone affirms us, they shine a light on our truth in a way that we can see it and others can’t miss it. An affirmation is a chronicle of the process of shining and sharing these truths.
- Leadership is an ability, position or a state of being that influences others to do something that they would not have done absent the leader. It is a force that compels others to act based on physical, emotional, or symbolic cues. Leadership brings together while simultaneously holding the power to disrupt.
Meet the REAL Talk Speakers
SARAH CALVERIC
Dr. Sarah Calveric began her career in Hanover County Public Schools in 1997, where she served as a special and general education teacher at the elementary and middle school levels. In 2002, she began her 11-year career as an elementary assistant principal and principal. In 2013, Dr. Calveric was named Director of Human Resources for Spotsylvania County Public Schools, where she worked collaboratively with colleagues and stakeholders to oversee leadership development, recruitment and retention, human relations, and employee wellness. As Assistant Superintendent of Instruction for Caroline County Public Schools (2016-2018), Dr. Calveric was instrumental in the development of the division’s five-year strategic plan, the CCPS K-12 Profile of a Graduate, professional learning communities, and numerous instructional initiatives such as increased school accreditation, the 1:1 Chromebook initiative, and professional development.
In 2018, Dr. Calveric was named the Superintendent of Caroline County P.S. During this tenure, Dr. Calveric has operationalized the school division’s core values, mission, and vision. Her commitment to shared leadership has resulted in the measurable advancement of teaching and learning, school and community relations, health and safety, and organizational effectiveness. To remain abreast of PK-12 best practices, Dr. Calveric serves on the Virginia Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development (VASCD) Board, chairs the Virginia Association of School Superintendents Professional Development Committee, and represents Region III on the Women Education Leaders in Virginia (WELV) Board. Additionally, Superintendent Calveric remains abreast of local and regional efforts as a Board Member for the Caroline YMCA, GoVA, Workforce Now, and Smart Beginnings. For the past eight years, Dr. Calveric has kept her pulse on teacher and leader preparation as an Associate Adjunct Professor for University of Richmond’s Educational Leadership and Policy Studies Program.
Dr. Calveric holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary and Special Education from the State University of New York at Geneseo, a Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Virginia Commonwealth University.
JOY CRUMP
Joy Crump, a Pennsylvania native, is known for crafting the seasons’ best locally-sourced ingredients into comfortably refined dishes. A culinary graduate of the Art Institute of Atlanta, Crump honed her skills alongside Atlanta farm-to-table pioneers, Chef Michael Tuohy and Chef Kevin Gillepsie. In 2011, Crump opened her first restaurant, FOODE in Historic Downtown Fredericksburg, Virginia with business partner Beth Black. In 2014, the duo opened their second restaurant, the breakfast-centric Mercantile, also in Fredericksburg. She appeared on Season 12 of the Emmy Award-winning competition series, Top Chef. Crump has had the honor of cooking as a featured chef at the James Beard House in both 2016 and 2017, and is actively involved in the James Beard Foundation’s Impact Programs for Food Policy, Chef Advocacy and Change. In September of 2018, Crump appeared in the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook, “Waste Not: How to Get the Most From Your Food.” The goal of the cookbook is to shine a light on the collective efforts of the food community to tackle the food waste epidemic. She has also served on the Advisory Boards of the Monticello Heritage Harvest Festival and the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. Most recently she joined the Advisory Board of the James Beard Foundation.
Faced with the industry challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic, in early 2020, Beth and Joy pooled their resources by merging FOODE and Mercantile into a single location. With the newly co-branded FOODE + Mercantile, the restaurateurs were able to retain more staff members, streamline their training and safety efforts and remain a steadfast member of their local downtown business community. In 2021, Joy and Beth purchased 718 Venue, a meticulously-renovated special events facility in the heart of downtown Fredericksburg. The business is a welcome addition to the FOODE + Mercantile family of brands, furthering Beth Black and Joy Crump’s decade-long efforts to add excellence and comfort to Fredericksburg’s hospitality landscape.
BARBARA GUSTAVSON
Barbara Gustavson is owner of Discover Next Step and a certified facilitator, speaker and coach who helps key decision-makers and leaders get their ideas, decisions, and well-being set in motion. She is also a certified Brain Health Coach and Amen University’s Brain Health Licensed Program Director where she instructs a global group of professionals on how to facilitate work/life wellness programs in organizations to support their employees.
Her passion is working with women and equipping them to use their talents and life experiences to live out their purpose and make a meaningful difference. She is author of Permission to Be BOLD and co-author of Breaking Average, and host of the ‘Inner Bold’ Podcast. Barbara’s greatest joys are being with her family, friends, and hanging out with her 2 rescue dogs and a rescue horse.
CASEY HOLLINS
Casey Hollins is an award-winning, nationally recognized communications professional. As the Managing Director – Communications and Public Relations for Rappahannock Electric Cooperative, Casey leads a diverse and highly-skilled communications and public relations team that strategically shapes member experiences at the Cooperative. Casey is an influential, results-oriented, and forward-thinking leader skilled at developing and executing effective messaging, campaigns, and communication strategies that deliver results, improve awareness, and increase overall customer satisfaction and engagement. Casey and her team have the exciting responsibility for implementing effective communications and community engagement strategies that connect, engage and inspire.
Prior to becoming Managing Director, Casey spent nearly a decade as REC’s Communications Specialist and then Director of Communications and Public Relations. Casey and her husband Mark reside in Louisa County with their five children, three dogs, five cats, and six chickens. When they aren’t tinkering around at home with DIY projects, they can be found somewhere on a baseball field praying that one day the travel and long weekends for their three oldest sons produces at least one MLB All-Star.
JUDY KOKE
Judith Koke is Deputy Director and Director of Professional Learning of the Institute for Learning Innovation. She is internationally recognized as an expert on museums and free-choice learning; the learning that occurs while visiting science centers, museums, zoos & aquariums.
Ms. Koke has over 50 publications, (including articles, book chapters and books) and has served on the Editorial Board of Museums & Social Issues. She is the author of Interpretive Planning for Museums: Integrating Visitor Perspectives in Decision Making (2013). Ms. Koke is frequently invited to work with museum boards to better understand the changing world of museums and diversifying audiences. Her current work focuses on studying the impacts of free-choice learning settings on the public’s understanding of their world, and in exploring how to better move research into practice through more effective models of professional learning.
Ms. Koke has held multiple leadership roles in museums and has a keen interest in exploring new ways of engaging existing and new audiences in the planning and use of museum other free choice learning environments. She has taught at the graduate level at the University of Toronto, George Washington University and the University of Toronto.
DANYA TURKMANI
Danya comes from a marketing background and has worked for a mixture of for, and non-profit organizations, varying in size and industry. This purposeful career pursuit was intentional to have a range of experiences and exposure to how different industries function.
She holds a BBA and MBA from the University of Missouri—Kansas City School of Business and Management, with an emphasis in marketing.Currently pursuing a PhD in Healthcare Policy and Management at the Kansas University School of Medicine and conducting research on telehealth processes and procedures from a Consumer Experience (CX) lens.
Danya enjoys painting, reading, writing, traveling, and cooking for pleasure. She is the mother to a little boy, Naser, and loves learning more about the world through his eyes.
