'Our history is our strength' Published March 4, 2011 By Mary Lou Gorny Hilltop Times editor HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah -- We want to help as many people as we can, in as many ways as we can," said Edna Cooper, Federal Women's Program director as she anticipated the month of events scheduled to begin March 8 to commemorate the contributions and accomplishments of women. The Life Enhancement Seminar carries the theme of "Our History is Our Strength," and includes classes on leadership, interviewing skills, dealing with difficult people, stress reduction and work, dressing for successful interviews throughout different ages, coaching employees to success and decoding personality types with the help of a system of "Color Personalities." Keynote speaker at a luncheon planned for March 9 is Kathy Loveless, a survivor of non-smoking lung cancer who will share experiences on personal strength. Loveless has consulted with multiple federal agencies and won many national and international awards for service with the U.S. Bureau of Reclamations in her work as an executive producer of television and multimedia productions. She is president of her own management consulting firm and as such helped international engineering firms win multimillion dollar contracts by improving their performance. The luncheon is $10.30 for club members, $12.30 for non-members and includes the choice of a heart healthy turkey croissant, garden salad or black bean burger. One class will precede the luncheon on Tuesday, March 8: "Leaders at all Levels," by Tracy Stauder in Building 1279 Room 7, at 10 a.m. Stauder is a first-line supervisor for the 309th Software Maintenance Group. She enjoys sharing insights gained in effective leadership practices of both professional and personal benefit. Working with employees to support and empower them in all they do is her primary focus. All classes are free and Cooper strongly suggests everyone take advantage of the opportunity to sharpen their skills or attain new ones. Other classes include the following: March 10, Interviewing skills with Denise Elbert, avionics maintenance technician and curriculum developer for aircraft maintainers. The class is in the Chapel Annex at 12:30 p.m. Elbert is a Wingman Advocate and a dedicated member of several community service organizations, having conducted training for many federal and commercial organizations. On March 15, the topic is "How to Pet a Porcupine - Dealing with Difficult People," taught by Linda Larsen in the Base Theater at 9 a.m. Cooper said this class promises to be both entertaining and useful as Larsen has taught this in the past and it is always a lot of fun. "Men are invited, too (to any of the events) and this (topic) could apply to spouses, co-workers, children or neighbors," she said. Larsen works in the Central Training Office and is President of Operation Adopt a Ghost, an nonprofit organization sending supplies to Soldiers and Airmen serving in Afghanistan. She is also an adjunct English professor at Weber State University. Larsen also will teach the course on March 17, at 9 a.m. in Building 1279 , Room 1 on "Stress Reduction and Work." On March 17 at 12:30 p.m., in Building 1279 Room 1, Frank Bernel and Gerry Anderson will present "Dressing for Successful Interviews Through Our Ages, and again March 22, at 9 .m. in the Chapel Annex. Gerry Anderson has worked in a variety of business and management fields and has served as international secretary of the PowerTalk International and also as Division 1 vice president of the organization. She now serves as the International Chairwoman and Liaison for the Life Member and Member-at-Large Committee. She will present ideas for what to do and how to do it as far as "dressing for success" along with fellow presenter, Frank Bernel, another PowerTalk presenter. On March 24, at 11:30 a.m., Rita Roybal will present "Color Personalities" in Building 1295, Poe Conference Room. This class requires pre-registration to denise.elbert@hill.af.mil. Roybal is a licensed clinical social worker and currently leads the Wingman Advocates at Hill Air Force Base. Additional special event A special correlating event coordinated by Dr. Ron Brown: Grandma Ruby Price is a well-known advocate for education and a pioneer for black women in Davis County and the Ogden area. She first came to the area working at Defense Depot Ogden during World War II and sought to teach in Davis County. Initially rejected, she didn't take no for an answer and four years later she became a teacher for the district. She has served as a tireless advocate for children's rights, including service work in behalf of migrant children forming an auxiliary organization to teach them English and make sure they had access to health care. Price will speak March 15 at 11 a.m. at a location yet to be determined. She was recently covered in a broadcast Feb. 28 on KUED's "Contact" and will be honored by Equity Committee Davis County School District on March 28 at the annual Spirit of Unity Dinner. Visit http://utahunity.com/ for more information on the event. Said Cooper of the theme for this year's events, "You don't know where you're going, unless you know where you've been. So if you know your history, know where you came from whether it be personally or professionally -- then you know where to make improvements and learn from other people's mistakes and then move forward." She also noted that information about a scholarship funded by the the Federal Women's Program and the opportunity to apply would begin March 8 and conclude March 29. The scholarship will be presented at a May 4 "Lunch and Learn." Raffles will also be held for special baskets full of goodies and tickets will be available at all events, the winners will be announced at a dessert wrap-up on March 29. Cooper is excited about the opportunity to improve the program and gain more members. She will be actively seeking feedback about the conference events this year and what people are interested in as well as more support for the program. Cooper especially thanked a handful of stalwart supporters for helping her construct the program this year as well as the past president, Denise Elbert. "It should be a lot of fun and informative," said Cooper. For more information visit https://cs.eis.afmc.af.mil/sites/1149/Hill/FWP/default.aspxFWP/ or contact Cooper at edna.cooper@hill.af.mil.