Michigan ACE Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education Also to be Recognized
ACE announced today that Lucie Lapovsky, a longtime advocate for achieving gender equity in higher education leadership, will receive the 2016 Donna Shavlik Award.
The award will be presented at ACE2016, ACE’s 98th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, during the Women’s Leadership Dinner on Saturday, March 12.
ACE established the Donna Shavlik Award to honor the long and outstanding service of Donna Shavlik, former director of ACE’s Office of Women in Higher Education (now part of the ACE Inclusive Excellence Group). Presented annually, the award honors an individual who demonstrates a sustained commitment to advancing women in higher education, through leadership and career development, campus climate and mentoring.
Lapovsky has been a leader in the ACE Women’s Network for over 30 years, beginning in 1980 with her participation in ACE’s National Identification Program, the early iteration of ACE’s Women’s Leadership Networks. Lapovsky was deeply involved in Maryland’s State Network and served as chair of the Maryland State Coordinators for many years before becoming the first chair of the executive board of the ACE Network, which was created by the Office of Women to guide the state programs, to help more women advance to the college presidency and to strengthen the relationship between ACE and each state network’s coordinator. Through this role, Lapovsky provided invaluable leadership through her insights and dedication to promoting and supporting the women identified for presidencies and other leadership positions.
Throughout a higher education career as a chief financial officer, college president and now a consultant, Lapovsky has dedicated countless hours and effort to ensuring that the next generation of women leaders is prepared to lead. Her extensive work includes her involvement with ACE’s Moving the Needle: Advancing Women in Higher Education initiative, her service on the Higher Education Resource Services (HERS) and The White House Project boards, and as chair of Re:Gender (formerly the National Council for Research on Women). She tirelessly gives her time to advise, mentor and sponsor women. Lapovsky has helped many potential presidents demystify and understand the finances of the institutions they were considering.
“For many years Lucie Lapovsky has been at the forefront of forging a pathway for women to succeed as leaders in higher education,” said ACE president Molly Corbett Broad. “Her dedication to ACE and our Women’s Networks speaks to her unwavering commitment to seeing that women are equally represented in leadership roles.”
Maria Klawe, president of Harvey Mudd College (CA), will give the keynote address at the Women’s Leadership Dinner. Klawe’s speech will focus on the role of female leaders in academia.
ACE State Network Leadership Award
The 2016 ACE State Network Leadership Award will be given to the Michigan ACE Network for Women Leaders in Higher Education, which was established in 1978, one year after the national program was established. The award will be presented to Lynette Findley ACE Michigan Women’s State Coordinator, at the Women’s Network Leadership Council reception just prior to the Women’s Leadership Dinner. She is the president of Lynette Findley & Associates, LLC, and assistant vice president, academic success partnerships, emerita, Eastern Michigan University.
The ACE State Network Leadership Award for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education recognizes an outstanding and innovative program, sponsored by an ACE State Network or by a college or university, that helps advance or support women or women’s issues in higher education.
“The Michigan ACE Women’s Network has a long standing history of being a model of success for emerging networks. The network has consistently demonstrated a commitment to inclusive leadership, diversity, teamwork and professional development support for women in higher education,” said Kim Bobby, director of ACE’s Inclusive Excellence Group. “Each year, they stand ready to offer best practices for engaging leaders and institutions across the state. We are so pleased to honor their good work with the ACE Network Leadership Award.”
The Michigan Network stands out as an exemplary model due to its focus on inclusion within higher education as a whole, and bringing together two-year, four-year, public and private colleges and universities across the state to create opportunities for women in higher education.
