ALLIANCE – On March 26, the University of Mount Union's Women's History Month committee hosted a panel of women who understand that to have a positive future, we need to eliminate any bias and discrimination. Following the national theme, “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion,” the panel highlighted the “Sheroes in Our Community,” featuring the women who are making an impact in our local area and striving towards a better future. The panel was moderated by psychology major Kayla Kilgore ’24.

Panelists included Lateka Hagans and Areatha Harris, owners and operators of Sisters Social, Dr. LaTrice Snodgrass, MSM-HCM, Executive Director of the Beacon Charitable Pharmacy, Pastor Christy Suffecool from Mount Tabor Methodist Church in East Canton, and Abby Schroeder, Director of the Regula Center at Mount Union.

Women's History Month Panelists

The event included lunch and dialogue with a Q&A that followed and ended with the presentation of the Jane Weston Chapman Award. The Jane Weston Chapman Award is given to a student and faculty/staff member each year who has worked toward making the campus a more accepting and inclusive community.  

Recipients this year were student Maddy Miles ’24, Gracyn Sage ’24, and staff member Tina Stuchell, executive director of information technology/chief information officer.

Maddy Miles '24 and her nominator, associate professor of education, Beth Canfield-Simboro

Maddy, biochemistry major, was recognized for her advocation of women in her classes. Her nominator embraced that Maddy is a leader in the classroom, on campus, and in the Alliance community. Maddy is engaging with senior research on campus with breast cancer awareness and continues to advocate for mental health awareness on campus among her peers.

Gracyn, nursing major, was unable to attend the ceremony due to her nursing clinicals. She was recognized for her unwavering dedication to promoting gender equity, advocating for social justice, and empowering women within our Mount Union community. Her peer nominator said, “What I admire most about Gracyn is the way she challenges the spaces she is in and the people around her and offers solutions to these things. Often our generation is quick to complain and post about something, but Gracyn advocates and pushes for real impactful change so that the places she is in are better than when she came.”

Tina Stuchell and her nominators 

Tina was recognized for her impact in a male-dominated field. Her nominators agreed that “She has worked hard to keep Mount Union on the cutting edge with educational resources and she has modeled the way for higher education institutions regarding cyber-security and information integrity. In an industry where the vast majority of chief information officers are men, Tina is blazing a trail and leading by example for women in the world of information technology!"