Alvernia University Women's Council

The Alvernia University Women’s Council (AWC) was established in 2018 to meet the demand for women’s advocacy, development, and empowerment at Alvernia. The Council reflects the needs and aspirations of women within the Alvernia University community.

The mission of the AWC is threefold:

To foster the personal and professional development of Alvernia women at all life stages
To strengthen Alvernia women’s connection to each other and Alvernia
To educate and inspire women to pursue or grow in leadership roles.

Since its inception, the AWC has spearheaded numerous programs, including the AWC Fall Luncheon, the AWC mentorship program, on-campus student programs focused on personal and professional development, quarterly networking events and cultivation events are meant to inspire and strengthen the engagement of AWC members to each other and the University.

The AWC has an established partnership with the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance’s Women2Women program to leverage and enhance programs and opportunities available to its members in the Greater Reading community.

Membership to AWC is open to any individual committed to enhancing the quality of life for Alvernia Women. Individuals who participate in four or more programs, events, meetings or other activities annually would be considered active members. Members may include, but not limited to, Alvernia students, alumni, faculty/staff, volunteers, community members, parents, Leadership Berks graduates.

Participation in AWC can be done virtually, in person or both. You do not need to reside in Berks County or surrounding communities to participate.

Upcoming Events

Dec. 2: Sight & Sound Miracle of Christmas
Dec. 12, 5 to 7 p.m.: Holiday Social and Networking, Chatty Monks Lounge, 101 N. Carroll St., Reading. Join us for a fun evening of gathering and networking to kick off the holiday season. Light refreshments will be served. Join us for as long as you can throughout the evening. (NOTE: This is not the West Reading location. The site is located behind the Wawa on Lancaster Avenue.) Please register to attend so we can ensure the proper amount of refreshments.
March 2024: Social Event
June 5, 2024: Bernardine Legacy Award Luncheon
Sept. 6, 2024: 3rd Annual Leadership Summit

2023 Bernardine Legacy Award Luncheon

2023 Leadership Summit: Invest in Yourself

Connect With Our Presenters

Toni Moore: Moore Legal Firm – by Toni Moore
Brianna Campbell - Coaching and Consulting
Terri Hill: Executive Director - Berks Business Education Coalition
Jodi Bukowski: Investment Advisor - Lifetime Financial Services
Vali Heist: The Clutter Crew
Michele Conway: The Orange Butterfly Effect
Caitlin Long: Director of Technology Transfer & Innovation Commercialization - Alvernia University
Lucine Sihelnik: Commissioner, County of Berks
Michelle Dickinson: High Performance Life Coach & Business Mentor
Dr. Tiffany Cresswell-Yeager: Assistant Professor, Education, Gwynedd Mercy University
Ali Blair-Snyder: Academic Advisor, Professor, Researcher, Author
Lydia Rieger: Tutoring and Transformation
Dr. Paige Brookins: Director of Health Equity, City of Reading
Jessica Warchal King: JCWK Dance Lab
Regina Rinehimer: Partner, Wealth Manager, Kingsview Partners
Sharon Mast: Spark Solutions and Support
Jiolka Peralta: Texture Curl Bar
Rosa Julia Parra: Palo Magazine
Andi Funk: Executive Vice President & CFO, EnerSys Inc.

Quarterly Meetings

All meetings will be held in the Upland Center, 540 Upland Ave., Reading PA 19611.

Oct. 4, 2023: Featuring Senior Vice President and Provost Dr. Leamor Kahanov presenting on Paying it Forward and Creating Balance. Light dinner provided. Dinner and networking: 5 p.m. Program: 5:30 PM. Register for this event.
January 18, 2024
April 18, 2024
July 18, 2024

Ways to be involved

In addition to attending programs or becoming a mentor/mentee, we encourage you to become involved in one of the AWC Committees. Committees meet on average once a quarter.

Events & Engagement Committee: The Events & Engagement Committee promotes awareness of the AWC and its mission and fosters relationships among AWC members through the support of quality programming. It reaches out to and engages with AWC constituencies, whether it is other AWC members, students, alumni, or the entire Alvernia community, and actively seeks ways to engage women with the AWC. The committee invites interested women to join the AWC, fosters relationships, and identifies women that could take a leadership role within the AWC. Engagement through events can be accomplished by creating new and/or stand-alone programs or by partnering with other organizations/departments/events connected to the university or other organizations that align with the AWC’s mission. These events may be held on campus or the community at large.
Professional Advancement & Opportunities Committee: The Professional Advancement & Opportunities Committee is dedicated to promoting and facilitating mentorship, internship, and job opportunities for Alvernia University students and alumni. The committee works with the O’Pake Institute, Holleran Center and Institutional Advancement to identify and secure internships, mentors and job opportunities for students. Mentor and mentee relationships can occur between current students and AWC members, alumni and community members based on matched interests.
Awards & Recognition Committee: The Awards & Recognition Committee recognizes Alvernia alumni and students who have distinguished themselves throughout their lives. The committee seeks nominations and identifies candidates for the Bernardine Legacy Award, and makes recommendations to the Steering Committee for approval. The committee also seeks nominations and identifies candidates (alumni, faculty, professional staff and students) for the Alvernia Magazine. The committee identifies ways to thank and recognize alumni and student volunteers who support the University.
Steering Committee: The Steering Committee establishes goals and identifies priorities for the Alvernia Women’s Council. The committee reviews and evaluates the results of all committees’ activities and assesses how the activities accomplish the goals and priorities of the Council. Specifically, the Steering Committee’s goals included increasing Council and committee memberships, developing a budget and creating income streams for the Council and increasing student engagement and recruitment.

Thankful to our partners...

Giving Back

Proceeds from AWC events support the Newcombe Scholarship Fund. This fund provides support to women students, 25 years of age and older, who need financial aid to complete their education at Alvernia. Learn more about Charlotte Newcombe.