Women in Business - At The Heart of It All

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Join us on American Business Women?s Day as we celebrate and honor the accomplishments of businesswomen across the nation and in our region. Being the biggest Women?s Network event of the year, we are thrilled to have two incredible speakers for the event. Desiree Reed Francois, University of Missouri Athletic Director and Judge Robin Ransom, Missouri Judge of the Supreme Court. We look forward to hearing their inspirational stories which aim to embody the spirit of women breaking through and rising above.
 
Desiree Reed- Francois was named Mizzou?s 21st Director of Athletics in August 2021. A former student-athlete at UCLA, Reed-Francois is the first female athletic director in Mizzou?s history, the first female athletic director in a public institution in the SEC and was the first Hispanic female and woman of color athletics director at the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) level. Reed-Francois came to Mizzou after serving four years as the Director of Athletics at the University of Nevada Las Vegas. She has also served in senior leadership roles at Virginia Tech, Cincinnati and Tennessee during her 25-plus years in collegiate athletics.
 
Robin Ransom attended and graduated from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. Her judicial career began in 2002, when she was appointed as a Family Court Commissioner for the 22^nd Judicial Circuit. She served in that capacity until September of 2008 when she was appointed by Governor Matt Blunt as Circuit Judge in the City of St. Louis, the 22^nd Judicial Court. In January of 2016, she began serving as the Administrative Judge of the Family Court, overseeing all facets of the court?s operations both in the Juvenile and Domestic divisions. In September of 2016, she was unanimously elected by her peers to serve in the capacity of Assistant Presiding Judge of the 22^nd Judicial Circuit, then in September of 2018, she was again unanimously elected by her peers to serve as the Presiding Judge of the 22^nd Judicial Circuit. After just a few weeks in that role, Judge Ransom was appointed by Governor Mike Parson on January 9, 2019, to the Court of Appeals ? Eastern District. In May of 2021, Governor Parson appointed Judge Ransom to her current position as Judge of the Supreme Court for the State of Missouri.
 

Jacqueline K. Clark, MPA, APR, Fellow PRSA, is Holcim?s West Regional Government Relations and Public Affairs leader.  Clark directs the company?s public and government affairs as well as political action, community relations and crisis management programs. Clark has worked on a variety of issues at the federal, state and local levels and is highly regarded for her work in public policy development.  Clark has led boards of directors for public relations, business, civic, arts, education, health and human services organizations. She is in her second term as the Midwest Director on the Public Relations Society of America?s board. She led the international Mizzou Alumni Association in 2009-2010 as its president and received its Faculty-Alumni Award in 2015.  She also has served on both the Public Affairs Council and State Government Affairs Council respective boards of directors, organizations comprised of companies from every major industry sector. She is the first woman to chair a Portland Cement Association Committee. Clark has served in leadership capacities with four states? Chambers of Commerce.  Ms. Clark is a frequent guest speaker on public relations, legislative and government relations.