Women in the World 2024
Meet our 2024 Women in the World Conference speakers and read a description of the talks they gave at the conference on April 10!
Dr. Elise Ji Yong Choe
Elise Ji Young Choe, Ph.D., (she/her) is an Academic Researcher and Staff Psychologist at the Danielsen Institute. Her research and clinical interests include how forgiveness, humility,
religion/spirituality, and other virtues may promote resilience for individuals involved in interpersonal conflict. She is also interested in the influence intersecting identities have on individual experiences with virtues, as well as deconstructing virtues, mental health, and psychology from a feminist, intercultural perspective.
“Damned if you do, Damned if you don’t: The double-edged sword of virtues and humility”
Across cultures, women have been placed upon pedestals, expected to be virtuous and humble. However, these standards of virtuousness and humility are often oppressive and constraining. This is especially true for women leaders as they are judged more harshly for being assertive or demanding, placing women into an ambiguous space of uncertainty where actions and decisions are never good enough. In this conversation, I hope to engage everyone in a discussion of deconstructing our understanding of humility and virtues, redefine them, and find ways to embody virtues in an empowering way rather than being stuck in a space of questioning.
Deborah J. Hamilton
Deborah J. Hamilton is a Registered Nurse, a Chaplain, and a veteran of the United States Army Nurse Corps with the rank of Captain. She is passionate about whole-
person healthcare, both physical and spiritual, and brings the spiritual dimension into conversations about healthcare and nursing practice. A native of Tennessee, Deborah’s 40 years of nursing experience includes several roles as a staff nurse and nursing administrator in various settings including hospitals, community health centers, and the U.S. Army. She is currently a part-time lecturer with Bouvé College of Health Sciences at Northeastern University, where she instructs nursing students on subjects including public health and ethics. She previously served as adjunct faculty with the Faith Community Nurse Network of the Greater Twin Cities, where she taught ethics to Registered Nurses seeking certification as a Faith Community Nurse (FCN). Deborah earned her Master of Divinity from Boston University School of Theology. In addition to teaching nursing students, she works as a chaplain at Boston Medical Center and BMC’s Behavioral Health Center in Brockton, providing spiritual care to patients, families, and staff. In 2006, Deborah was diagnosed with colon cancer following her initial colonoscopy screening. She credits her faith and belief that healthcare includes spirituality which helped her navigate this diagnosis. She keeps this in the forefront while caring for patients, lecturing students, and providing spiritual care. Deborah is the mother to a daughter, two sons, four granddaughters, and two grandsons.
“The Journey from Nurse to Nurse Chaplain”
Hospital chaplains are support staff in hospitals with a focus on providing spiritual care to staff, patients, and families. There are over 9,000 hospital chaplains in the United States where they work with other disciplines, doctors, nurses, social workers, and psychologists to provide spiritual care during serious health illnesses, in making serious health decisions, and for personal strength when faced with surgery, end-stage, and dying. As a healthcare chaplain, I will share my experiences as a chaplain from different perspectives, as a nurse, chaplain intern, chaplain resident, and per diem chaplain at a safety net hospital.
Rev. Kristen Hydinger
Rev. Kristen Hydinger (she/her) is a full-time researcher at Boston University’s Albert & Jessie Danielsen Institute where she blends her sociology and theology degrees as part of the Danielsen’s interdisciplinary research team. An STH graduate and ordained Baptist minister, Kristen embodies her call primarily outside church walls through projects that minister to ministers and give care to caregivers. She lives in Erie, PA with her husband, Greylyn (also an STH graduate) and two fur-babies and can regularly be found at local bookstores and coffee shops or hanging out with fellow knitters and crocheters.
“Being a Jill of All Trades: The Multilayered Experiences of Clergywomen”
This presentation will discuss recent and ongoing research with women clergy and religious leaders from across the country. Particular attention will be given to the ways gender and theology intertwine in the women’s day-to-day personal and professional experiences. Clergywomen offered insight into the internal capacities, interpersonal relationships, and systemic resources that both help them persevere and can undermine their well-being. Particular attention will be given to the factors that women state bolster or challenge their sense of worthiness as a religious leader as well as the myriad of other roles they occupy.
Rev. Philomena Hare
Rev. Philomena Hare currently serves as the pastor to the good people of the First Congregational Church of Wareham, United Church of Christ. If you are visiting the area, stop on by, we worship at 10:00 AM on Sundays. She is an ordained minister, authorized in the Old Colony Association, Southern New England Conference of the United Church of Christ. Although she has a great love for worship and the craft of preaching, her primary passion for ministry is the sacred dance between the life and mission of local congregations and faithful stewardship of our financial resources. Rev Philomena recognizes that all work and no play will eventually lead to burnout. So, when she is not at work, you can find her at the movies or museums, traveling, cooking, or attending a Providence Bruins game.
“Claiming your Belovedness: Replacing the Lie of Usefulness”
Toxic “I’m not enough” labels coming at us from any number of places-our families of origin, peers, and colleagues in the workplace, and even the church—coupled with the lie of usefulness convenience us that unless we are productive, successful high achievers, we are not enough. But the good news of Jesus is that God takes delight in us. We are God’s beloved, and that is enough to celebrate.
Cynthia N. Perry
Cynthia N. Perry (She/Her) is an aspiring womanist theologian who calls Washington, D.C. home. She earned her Master’s of Divinity with a Religion and Conflict Transformation certificate from Boston University School of Theology. She currently works for a faith-based nonprofit in Boston and has previously worked in DEI in higher education. Prior to moving to Boston Cynthia worked in health and fitness using her first master’s degree in sports management from George Washington University. She is a board member of Bikes not Bombs and the part-time executive director of the Black Sports Ministry Network. Cynthia’s passion and motivation, whether in the classroom, sports, or boardroom, is creating spaces where diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging aren’t just buzzwords but how one lives their life in community with others.
“Leading Others in a Liminal Season (Borrowed from the Book How to Lead When You Don’t Know Where You’re Going)”
How I’m learning to trust myself to lead others well in liminal spaces when taking an idea and turning it to an actual business.