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LCC ACE Women's Network

LCC ACE Women's Network

The LCC ACE Women's Network held its annual Equal Pay Day event Wednesday, April 6. Equal Pay Day illustrates the gap between men’s and women’s wages, symbolizing how far past 2021 and into 2022 the average woman has to work to make as much as the average man made in 2021. The gap increases for women of color, LGBTQIA+ women, and mothers.

Learn more about how the pay gap is calculated, causes of the gap, and common misconceptions from the American Association of University Women.

LCC's 2022 event included three special messages and a panel of accomplished women who will talk about their experiences and their thoughts on closing the pay gap.

Special messages

Debbie Stabenow
U.S. Senator for Michigan
Bio

Brandy Johnson
President of Michigan Community College Association
Bio

Angela Mathews
Trustee of Lansing Community College
Bio

Panelists

Toni Glasscoe
External Affairs, Development & K-12 Ops Lansing Community College
Bio

Kimberly Hurns
Executive Vice President of Instruction and Academic Affairs at Washtenaw Community College
Bio

Samantha Vaive
Trustee of Lansing Community College
Bio

Monique Field-Foster
Executive Partner at Warner Norcross + Judd
Bio

Tricia Foster
Chief Operating Officer, Executive Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer
Bio

Join Us On Padlet!

Slideshow of facts and quotes from LCC employees

Equal Pay Day 2021

We have some new participants on our Executive Board and Planning Committee – See our roster below.

LCC ACE Executive Committee members:

Seleana Samuel*
Patty Spagnuolo*
Kelly Hekler
Cynthia Rooker
Karen Tommasulo

LCC ACE Planning Committee:

Patti Ayers
Tricia McKay
Janaya Royal

*denotes LCC Institutional Representative to MI-ACE

Debbie Stabenow, U.S. Senator for Michigan

Debbie Stabenow made history in 2000 when she became the first woman from Michigan elected to the U.S. Senate. Throughout her career, she has broken down barriers and become one of Michigan’s and our country’s most influential and accomplished leaders.

Senator Stabenow is a proud Lansing resident. She earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees at Michigan State. Since then, she has represented Lansing in the Michigan House, the Michigan Senate, the U.S. House, and now the U.S. Senate.

Senator Stabenow is a national leader in the effort to make sure people have quality health care, including reproductive health care, behavioral health care and affordable prescription drugs.

Senator Stabenow will serve as Chair of the Senate Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry Committee, where she is the leader in protecting and strengthening food assistance and child nutrition initiatives so that more families have access to healthy foods. She authored the most advanced climate-smart agriculture policies to date in the 2018 Farm Bill and bipartisan legislation to fight the climate crisis.

As Co-Chair of the Senate Manufacturing Caucus, Senator Stabenow is leading efforts to help Michigan businesses create new, high-tech jobs and to sell their products around the world. And she’s partnered with Lansing Community College to ensure that every young person has the skills they need to get a good-paying job, whether they choose a technical career, a skilled trade, or a college degree.

Senator Stabenow is the most senior woman Senator to ever serve on the Senate Finance Committee, a senior member of the Budget Committee, and a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee. These positions give her a powerful role to play in shaping our nation’s manufacturing, energy, health care and agriculture policies.

Brandy Johnson, President of Michigan Community College Association

Johnson was selected as the President of MCCA in December 2021. Prior to this role, she served in the Governor’s administration, first as Governor Whitmer's education policy advisor and most recently served as a manager of the Office of Sixty by 30 within the Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. In 2010, she founded the Michigan College Access Network and served as its Executive Director until 2019. Johnson also was a policy fellow and college access coordinator under Governor Jennifer Granholm.

Johnson earned her bachelor’s degree in political science from Arizona State University and her master’s degree in public policy from the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Johnson was also appointed by Governor Whitmer to represent Michigan on the Midwest Higher Education Compact and served on Governor Snyder’s 21st Century Education Commission. She has been recognized for her leadership and advocacy by the Michigan Association of School Administrators, National College Access Network, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, as well as by the Michigan College Access Network.

Angela Mathews, Trustee of Lansing Community College

Ms. Mathews has been a lifelong resident of Lansing for over 30 years. After earning a degree in Human Services from Lansing Community College, Ms. Mathews established her career in Lansing, dedicating herself to community outreach and relations with several organizations. Throughout her career, she has served the Ingham County Register of Deeds' office, Lansing School District, and several non-profits, including Youth Development Corporation and March for Justice. Ms. Mathews is the Executive Director of the Connection TV Show, Video Instructor for Hope Central Academy, and CEO of Mathews Media Group.

She combines her passion for education and her professional success to mentor Lansing youth through her many community organization platforms, teaching leadership and life transferable skills. She serves on the Lansing Juneteenth Committee, is active with the Lansing Branch of the NAACP, and is a licensed minister.

Her top priorities as a Trustee are increasing outreach to future prospective students and strengthening LCC relations with other educational institutions. She was elected to office November 8, 2016, and her term expires December 31, 2022.

Samantha Vaive, Trustee of Lansing Community College

Samantha Vaive made her home in Lansing after spending years moving from state to state. She started at Simon's Rock College at 16 and graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree focused in psychology. At Simon's Rock she earned the Peter I.B. Lavan Merit Scholarship for Excellency in the Social Sciences. She presented her undergraduate thesis as a paper at the New England Psychological Association's Annual Conference in 2007. She was a member of the Honors Society during her time at the University of Denver's Graduate School of Social Work, earning an MSW in clinical therapy and animal-assisted therapy. She worked as a counselor for at-risk youth and young mothers battling addiction. After moving to Michigan she completed a Post-Graduate certificate program at The University of Michigan in sex therapy and sexual health education. She works as a community organizer and political consultant, holding several elected positions and officer positions within the MDP. LCC is a wonderful resource with the ability to bring a higher quality of life to everyone in our community, as a Trustee she will work to continue that legacy.

Her goal is to use the knowledge and skills she's developed to help all of Lansing pursue higher education and self-development. She was elected to office November 6, 2018, and her term expires December 31, 2024.

Monique Field-Foster, Executive Partner at Warner Norcross + Judd

Monique Field-Foster is the Executive Partner of Warner's Lansing office and concentrates her practice on all facets of government affairs, including policy strategy and development, analysis and drafting of legislation, legislative events, state procurement and other advocacy initiatives. An experienced lobbyist and policy analyst, Monique has nearly 20 years of experience in government affairs.

Her experience includes five years as the Assistant Vice President of Strategic Initiatives Office of Governmental Affairs, where she designed and implemented programs to educate and inform MSU constituencies, encouraging state and local officials to invest in MSU higher education initiatives; as director of government affairs for the Department of Management and Budget, as deputy director of legislative affairs for the Office of the Governor and as a legislative policy analyst for the Michigan House of Representatives. Most recently, Monique served as Deputy Legal Counsel for the Whitmer Transition Team and provided legal counsel for all aspects of the transition and legislative agenda.

Toni Glasscoe, External Affairs, Development & K-12 Ops

Kimberly Hurns, Executive Vice President of Instruction and Academic Affairs at Washtenaw Community College

Dr. Kimberly M. Hurns is the Executive Vice President of Instruction and Academic Affairs at Washtenaw Community College. She has worked at WCC for 20 years, starting her career as a full-time business faculty member. As a first-generation college student, Hurns is extremely passionate about access and measurable student success as well as the benefits of entrepreneurship education.

Under her leadership, the college has established a vibrant Teaching and Learning Center grounding student success work in good, engaged teaching. She has been instrumental in efforts to increase graduation rates for students by re-engineering operations and reducing barriers that have included the implementation of technology, realigning advising, reimagining liberal arts, supporting STEAM and delivering innovative course modalities. Hurns led the development of the college’s Entrepreneurship Center and the integration of entrepreneurship education across the curriculum.

As a strong supporter of empowering women leaders, Hurns is the immediate-past state chair of Michigan-ACE Women’s network, an affiliate of the American Council of Education. She serves as a member of the state’s Transfer Steering Committee and, in 2019, Hurns was recognized as a Notable Woman in Educational Leadership by Crain’s Detroit Business. She is currently a fellow with the Aspen Institute’s Rising Presidents program.

Hurns is married to Norman Clayton Hurns Sr. He is a professional counselor who leads the counseling department at a public high school. They have three children, Rhyan, who is a senior in high school, Norman Jr., who is a junior, and Kyla, who is a sophomore at The Ohio State University.

Dr. Hurns is a life-member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.

Tricia L. Foster, CPM, ACoM, Chief Operating Officer, Executive Office of Governor Gretchen Whitmer

Tricia L. Foster was appointed Michigan’s Chief Operating Officer (COO) by Governor Gretchen Whitmer in March of 2020. In this position, a first for Michigan, Trish is responsible for managing large-scale projects, instituting operational standards and efficiencies across state departments, and working to create processes and procedures that apply a business-like approach to the management side of state government. Additionally, Foster’s office is the coordinating body for the Governor’s cabinet, as well as a resource for department directors and their staff.

Prior to serving as the Chief Operating Officer for the state of Michigan, Foster was named director of Michigan’s Department of Technology, Management & Budget by Governor Whitmer in January of 2019. In this role, Foster directed a staff of nearly 3,000 employees who provide business, information technology, procurement, retirement, financial and other administrative services for state government and oversees the department’s $1.3 billion budget.

Foster retired as senior managing director and chief operating officer of CBRE in Mid and West Michigan in 2016. CBRE is the world’s leading commercial real estate services and investment firm. Her comprehensive understanding of business operations, customer service, key performance metrics and overall commercial real estate solutions were developed over 23 years, beginning in her role as the firm’s accountant and expanding through leadership roles in each business line.

Foster graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in accounting from Michigan State University and earned the certified property manager designation and accredited commercial manager designation from IREM.