BETHANY – Bethany College will host its 11th-annual Women and Leadership Symposium, Friday and Saturday, bringing together professionals, alumni and students for a weekend focused on leadership, career development and networking.

With a theme of “Winning in the Workplace and Beyond,” the symposium will be held at Commencement Hall on the Bethany College campus, with a keynote address from Toria Tolley, a 1978 graduate of the college, former CNN anchor, award-winning journalist, and communications coach.

During her 30-year on-air career, Tolley reported live from some of the nation’s biggest news stories and garnered hundreds of in-depth interviews with the world’s most visible leaders, both political and corporate. Drawing from more than three decades of on-camera excellence, she founded her media and communication skills training company, The Business Of Talk. In addition to coaching network television pundits and newsmakers, she now uses her expertise to help those outside the industry achieve new levels of communication success. Her techniques have been shown to increase profit, create the desired public image, and instill corporate confidence.

In addition, she is currently a freelance producer with ABC News, “Good Morning America” and “World News Tonight with David Muir.” For the past eight years she’s traveled to breaking news locations, working behind the camera to obtain exclusive on-the-scene interviews for the network.

Tolley’s address will focus on leadership, career growth, and the challenges of rising in competitive professional environments.

Additional highlights include announcing the Scarlett Foster Women & Leadership $1,000 and $500 Award on Friday evening, as well as breakout sessions led by industry professionals and an expert networking panel featuring leaders in law, healthcare, global supply chain, finance, and consulting.

Panelists include Erica Pietranton, a commercial and civil litigation attorney at Houston Harbaugh in Pittsburgh; Dr. Kelly Chaney, medical director of the UPMC Insurance Services Division Health Plan; Lindsay Faddish, director of global aluminum procurement and supply chain at Arconic; Kristy Howell, deputy division chief in the Statistics Department of the International Monetary Fund; and Michele Myauo, a global enterprise technology and cybersecurity executive with more than 20 years of experience currently working as managing director at Deloitte.

Breakout sessions will include “From Paychecks to Passion Projects” with Kelly Murray, owner and operator of North Mountain Woodworks; “Winning in the Workplace” with Jennifer Fleahman Rohrig, regional manager of business retention and expansion for the West Virginia Division of Economic Development in the Northern Panhandle; “Climbing the Ladder to Success: Capitalizing on Wins and Losses,” with Jen Windmiller, Bethany College’s director of athletics; and “The Next Chapter: You’re Free. Now What?” with Dr. Gail Frankle, a brain health professional and speaker, trainer and coach.