iawc_centered.jpg

PLEASE JOIN US FOR THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH OF
THE INSTITUTE FOR THE ADVANCEMENT WOMEN AND CHILDREN —

Carrying the Mission Forward

Thursday, March 12, 2026 | 5-7:30 p.m.
Bergstrom Hall | Mount Mary University

SPONSORSHIP FORM

Through its four Centers of Excellence, the Institute is designed to provide comprehensive tools, resources, and essential support. This integrated approach ensures that women are fully equipped to thrive not only in their personal development and academic pursuits, but also in achieving sustained success professionally and becoming confident, compassionate leaders.

The Institute for the Advancement of Women and Children stands as a testament to the university's commitment to gender equity and empowerment. Launched under the direction of Mount Mary president Isabelle Cherney in 2023, the Institute is a continuation of the mission begun by the School Sisters of Notre Dame over a century ago.

leadership

The Center for Women's Leadership strives to develop tomorrow's leaders and gamechangers through professional development opportunities, including seminars, networking and leadership programming.

  • The Voices of Leadership series brings global thought leaders to campus each fall to share insight with the community. Recent keynote presenters have included business hypergrowth expert April Hansen, mental health advocate Diana Chao, construction business owner Linda Alverado, and Global Social Impact + Innovation Leader, Kat Esser from Amazon Web Services. In fall of 2025, Voices of Leadership welcomed local speakers Dr. Krishna DasGupta, M.D. and Dr. Xochitl Yadira Gonzalez, Ph.D. for a powerful discussion on "Conquering the Epidemic of Loneliness: Psychological and Spiritual Answers."
  • The Center hosts the Summer Leadership Academy, an immersive, week-long residential pre-college program providing career exploration and college preparation while fostering leadership for high school girls. Students who complete the program earn 2 college credits.
  • In June 2024, Mount Mary hosted the Latina's Access to Higher Education Summit. Attendees learned from accomplished women who have successfully led transformative changes within Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) educational settings. The event also explored best practices that empower Latinas pursuing higher education, with a particular focus on STEM disciplines.

rights

The Center for Women's and Children's Rights focuses on local and global human rights issues and will promote research on issues related to immigration and migration, human trafficking, peace and nonviolence. This center is dedicated to promoting access to quality education from grades pre-K through higher education, access to healthcare, and access to food.

  • During the 2025–2026 academic year, Mount Mary University's Campus Ministry will host discussions centered on the SSND Areas of Focus: Immigration, Human Trafficking, Peace and Nonviolence, and Racial Justice.
  • MMU partner, Healthy Shelves U, writes blogs, shares food resources, and publishes healthy recipes for the college community.
  • Medical Nutrition Therapy II provides free nutrition counseling services to the MMU community each spring. Free nutrition counseling is available at the Free Community Outreach Clinic, a partnership with Froedtert Health.

wellness

Designed to address regional disparities in the quality and access of healthcare across ethnic and socioeconomic groups. The Center for Health and Wellness works to narrow gaps in delivery of quality, accessible healthcare—especially for those in underrepresented populations.

  • MMU Occupational Therapy and School of Nursing students provide community nursing and occupational therapy services to residents at Milwaukee Catholic Home and Trinity Woods, as well as the Wauwatosa Daycare facility located onsite at Trinity Woods.
  • In 2024, the university expanded and reinvigorated a partnership with Penfield Children's Center to deliver pediatric care to at risk children and families, helping provide the foundation for lifelong development.
  • Culturabot, a 2024 project sponsored by the Amazon Web Service Health Equity Initiative is using generative artificial intelligence to create culturally responsive care plans. Students and faculty from the MMU Occupational Therapy and User Experience (UX) Design programs are working with AWS advisers to create a product that will be scalable, with future applications across multiple healthcare disciplines. Now in its field testing phase, the IAWC and development team are working to connect the Culturabot app to potential investors for widespread distribution.
  • In June 2025, the Institute and the Mount Mary School of Graduate Health & Professional Programs hosted Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Women's Wellness, an event promoting interdisciplinary discourse among practitioners in counseling, art therapy, occupational therapy, social work and dietetics.

technology

The Center for the Advancement of Women in Technology will elevate opportunities for students through expanded access to technology degree and training programs while addressing gender and racial disparities in technology.

  • Mount Mary will develop and host K-12 summer workshops for young women exploring careers in technology.
  • In summer 2024 and 2025 the Center hosted a summer workshop for children of GE Healthcare employees, addressing women in technology and providing hands-on STEM programming.
  • The university provides scholarships for the new User Experience (UX) Design program, encouraging women to break barriers to entry in the traditionally male-dominated tech field. The Center for the Advancement of Women and Children is developing collaborations with a variety of corporate and non-profit entities to further expand its commitment to gender equity and empowerment.
  • Dr. Isabelle Cherney was a panelist at the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Summit, held June 2025 in Washington, D.C. The discussion, "Future of Cloud Computing for Connected Healthcare," explores how cloud computing and generative AI are revolutionizing healthcare to better address the needs of address patients.

Read more about the Institute for the Advancement of Women and Children at these links: