2023 Women’s Empowerment Summit

Melissa Cantarero Weiss, MPA’08

An executive leader with 15 years of experience in local government, Cantarero Weiss currently serves as the deputy city manager of Wauwatosa, Wisconsin and is an International City/County Management Association credentialed manager. Engaging Local Government Leaders named her as a top influencer in local government in 2019 and 2021. In 2013, the Wisconsin City County Manager Association recognized her for her outstanding achievement in local government management.

Noelle Gipson, BSPA’16

Gipson is a dynamic and driven professional with a track record of building relationships, managing teams throughout the project lifecycle, and guiding others to success. She is an expert at forming cross-functional teams and providing world-class training to ensure that leaders of today and tomorrow have the tools they need to make a difference in the world. When Gipson is not serving as a strategic thought partner and project manager in her daytime role at the University of Chicago, she enjoys serving as an assistant coach for the university’s women’s volleyball program.

Lauren Hall Riggins, MPA-MAAA’16

Holding master’s degrees in education, public affairs, and arts administration, Hall Riggins has worked in education, nonprofit leadership, policy, and advocacy for over a decade. During that time, she has developed a deep conviction that education remains a vital tool for addressing generational poverty and systemic racism. Currently, she works with many youth organizations leveraging the literary arts movement to advance healing, cross-cultural understanding, justice, and joy.

Cheryl Hall Russell, Ed.D., MA, MPA ’99

With over 20 years of executive leadership in  the nonprofit and corporate sectors, Hall-Russell has focused the bulk of her career working in underserved communities. After completing her doctorate in leadership and administration, she established her DEI qualitative research firm, Black Women Wise Women. Through her firm, she works with organizations committed to establishing cultures that center on equity. Hall-Russell is drawn to organizations that pride themselves on creating inclusive cultures and setting and achieving goals with accountability structures. She is also a published writer, podcaster, and blogger. Through these channels, she moderates a live public affairs program that engages Black viewers on health, education, arts, and politics. Currently, Dr. Hall-Russell serves as vice-chair of the Planned Parenthood SWPA Board and the chair of the O’Neill School’s Distinguished Alumni Committee.

Traci Jovanovic, MPA’87

Jovanovic is vice president/general manager, WW consumer and device sales, at Microsoft. Highlights of her 30-year career in technology include retail sales, multi-unit management, operations, marketing and extensive sales and leadership experience at Microsoft, Sprint, and Verizon Wireless. She completed Georgetown University and Duke University executive leadership courses in 2010 and 2008, respectively. As a professional and community leader, giving back and mentoring are Jovanovic's passions. She has worked with numerous community organizations and mentoring centers within her career, receiving both the Sprint “Good Works” Award and the National Executive Champion of the Year from the Elevate ERG Academy in 2014. 

Rachael Sargent, MPA-MSES’21

With a concentration on environmental policy and natural resource management, Sargent currently works in the private sector as a consultant specializing in sustainability and public engagement. During her time at O’Neill, she pursued independent study in soil health. She worked with the IU Campus Farm to analyze soil health indicators and develop recommendations for best practices. Previously, she has worked on energy management at IU Bloomington, drinking water quality for the City of Bloomington, and underground storage tank management for the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.

Marti Kovener

Kovener has spent her 30-year career spanning nonprofit, local government and management consulting, building on her roots in the justice and human services fields. She creates and delivers learning and enablement programs to help people have a bigger impact in the work they do, at the personal, community, and organizational level. Kovener is a published and recognized facilitator, trainer, and speaker. She makes frequent trips to Bloomington to visit her father, who is an IU alum and a lifelong learner and supporter of the Delta Upsilon fraternity chapter and foundation at IU.

Vi Simpson

Simpson is a former member of the Indiana State Senate, representing District 40 from 1984 to 2012. From 2008 until 2012, she served as the senate minority leader. In 2012, Simpson ran for lieutenant governor of Indiana with John Gregg. Before her state political career, Simpson served as Monroe County auditor from 1981 to 1984. She has also served as the executive director of the Heritage Education Foundation since 1989. Graduating from California State University - East Bay, Simpson went on to earn her J.D. from Maurer School of Law in 1994.

Chare’A Smith

Smith is a wellness educator, author, and community servant passionate about helping ambitious people and organizations better integrate wellness into their life and career for total success. She believes your wellness journey is directly correlated to the attainment of your life goals. Learn more at Ye Self Care where Smith is the lead project manager.

Ellise Smith

Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Smith is a doctoral student in the Urban Education Studies program at IUPUI. With a research focus on the experiences of bodies that identify as fat, Smith dedicates her scholarship to creating celebratory spaces for the marginalized identities that she holds. She aims to ensure the work and narratives around bigger bodies are included in academia while challenging the dominant ideologies around body image acceptance. As such, Smith centers her work within the DEI sector as she pulls from her experiences working with first-generation, low-income students, racial equity, and eradicating injustices for underrepresented populations.

April Grudi

Director of the Master of Science in Healthcare Management program at O’Neill, Grudi has over a decade of leadership experience in the healthcare field. She remains passionate about leadership development, change management, and lean/process improvement.