Dr. Jackie Filla, Assistant Professor of History/Political Science at Mount St. Mary’s College, will present information from the college’s annual study on the status of women and girls in California at the Joint Winter Conference of the Valley Sunset and Sierra Mar Business and Professional Women on Saturday, January 31, 2015 at the DoubleTree Hotel Restaurant, 888 Montebello Blvd., Rosemead. The meeting starts at 9:00 A.M. with Dr. Filla being the luncheon speaker. The conference and luncheon is open to all interested people. There is no registration cost for guests, but the cost of the luncheon is $30. Call or E-mail Marjory Hopper (562) 699-6288 or mjhop6334@aol.com to make a reservation or for questions.

Each year Mount St. Mary’s College releases an annual report on the status of women and girls in California. This coincides with a conference they hold in March during Women’s History Month. Dr. Filla will talk about this report and the statistics that it reveals – e.g. more than 19 million women and girls live in California. Women of color comprise 60 percent of all California women. More women immigrants settle in California than male immigrants.

Before coming to Mount St. Mary’s, Dr. Filla was an assistant professor of political science and the faculty affiliate at the Pennsylvania Center for Women and Politics at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA.  Dr. Filla received her PhD and MA in political science from the University of California, Riverside and her BA in political science from California State University, Fullerton. Her research interests include state and local politics, direct democracy and women’s representation in local government. She has been awarded grants from the John Randolph and Dora Haynes Foundation and the Women and Girls Foundation. She has published articles in “Urban Affairs Review” and “State and Local Government Review.”

The morning speaker will be Linda J. Lucas, who is Past President of the California Federation of Business and Professional Women and the current Public Policy Vice Chair for the California Federation of Business and Professional Women. She will do a presentation on the “Women’s Policy Summit,” which will be January 14th at the Sacramento Convention Center. The “Women’s Policy Summit” is a major policy forum held in the California State’s Capital to help launch the legislative session with proposals to advance the health, wealth and power of women and girls in all of their diverse communities. This year they are intent on building bridges between communities of women leaders and advocates.

The mission of Valley Sunset and Sierra Mar Districts of the California Federation of  Business and Professional Women is “to promote and support equity for working women in all phases of their lives and to promote personal empowerment and professional development.” Our objectives are “to advocate on state and national legislative issues of importance to women, to promote personal and professional development for women and to foster connections among women to promote BPW and its members.” Membership is open to both men and women who support this mission and these objectives. Those who are members also belong to EPW-USA and BPW International. For more information about membership contact Marjory Hopper (562) 699-6288 or mjhop6334@aol.com