Women of Color Task Force

Career Conference
WCTF Events

The Women of Color Task Force is a staff organization, founded in 1979 at the University of Michigan, that provides professional development opportunities for employees. For more than 30 years, the Task Force has served as a forum for the exchange of information about the status of women of color staff at the University of Michigan and as a focal point for action necessary for the resolution of their concerns.

Membership

Any University of Michigan employee is eligible for membership in the Task Force if she or he is an active, regular staff, faculty, research fellow, or retiree. The Task Force encourages the participation of individuals from all University of Michigan departments and units who wish to promote the professional and personal development of women of color staff.  2012-2013 WCTF members

The 2012-2013 Executive Team is Charlotte Young Bowens, Gwen Brown, Shaquana Burton, Cherie Dotson,  Sandra Johnson, Marlanna Landeros, Latreece Taylor, and Janice Reuben, WCTF Program Coordinator.

General Membership Meetings

Women of Color Task Force meetings are held every other Thursday at 12 noon at Palmer Commons, 6th Floor in Boardroom 5.  Please contact WCTF Coordinator Janice Reuben at 734.764.6331 to confirm dates or email Janice at reubenjs@umich.edu. 

WCTF Meetings Schedule:

Please note that WCTF meetings are held at Palmer Commons in Boardroom 5 on the 6th floor, from 12:00-1:00pm, unless otherwise indicated.

Career & Personal Development Workshops

The Task Force offers career development workshops for its members. These sessions cover topics in the following areas: career development, project management, leadership development, health & wellness, and work-life balance.

Staff Mentoring

The Task Force believes that creating opportunities to share experiences and exchange knowledge fosters professional success and personal excellence. In order to produce those opportunities and conduits for sharing, the Task Force provides mentoring to its members.

The goals of the program are to:
Promote leadership development and increase professional skills & specific competencies, provide information and direction to identify and achieve career goals; and establish a network of support services for staff.

Woman of the Year Awards Program

The Task Force implemented a second major program initiative in 1986 - the Woman of the Year Awards Program. This program is designed to honor women of color staff and faculty who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of leadership (outstanding service as a project leader, administrator, or peer leader), human relations (improved group dynamics within the University community, at the unit level or beyond) and community relations.

In 2011, the awards were renamed in honor of the two founders of the Task Force: the Beulah Sanders Stafford Leadership Award and the Jennie Partee Human Relations Award.

A Task Force selection committee reviews the nominations submitted by the deans, department chairs, and directors of academic and research units to determine the winners of the leadership and human relations awards. The Rebecca A. Vaughn Distinguished Service Award is bestowed upon a Task Force member for exemplary service and dedication. Nominations for each award category are accepted from October to February each year, and the winners are announced during the opening session of the annual career conference. Download the award criteria and nomination form. (PDF and MSWord files)

View past awardees.

For more information about the Women of Color Task Force, please contact Janice Reuben, WCTF Program Coordinator, at 734.764.6331, or send her an email at wctfadmin@umich.edu.