As a female, have you ever wondered how to negotiate for equal pay? Find out at The University of Olivet’s second annual Cultivating Women Leaders event on March 2, when the Honorable Judge Page Denise Hood and attorney Kay Kossen will teach these professional negotiation skills and more. Female experts in a variety of fields will present interactive sessions on professional communication skills, including confrontation, interviewing and establishing boundaries as well.
This year’s theme is Pioneering the Future and the event will take place at Cutler Event Center from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. CWL is designed to inspire and equip young women to embrace their inner strength and realize their potential as responsible leaders.
Honorable Judge Denise Page Hood
Denise Page Hood presently serves as United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Michigan. She was nominated by President Bill Clinton and confirmed by the Senate in 1994. She became Chief Judge of the Court on January 1, 2016. Judge Hood previously served on the state court benches of 36th District Court, Recorder’s Court, and Wayne County Circuit Court and worked as assistant corporation counsel in the City of Detroit Law Department. She is a past president of the Detroit Bar Association and the Association of Black Judges of Michigan.
Judge Hood currently serves on the Criminal Pattern Jury Instructions Committee for the 6th Circuit and the Criminal Rules Advisory Committee of the United States Judicial Conference. She is the chair of the U.S. District Court’s Pro Bono Committee, co-chair of the Ad Hoc Jury Committee, and also serves on the Rules, Clerk’s Office and Criminal Law committees of the Court. Judge Hood is a member of several professional organizations including, immediate past co-chair of the Michigan State Planning Body for legal services, the State Bar Pro Bono Initiatives Committee, and the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation Board.
Judge Hood has received numerous honors including the Michigan Chronicle Women of Excellence Award, the Damon J. Keith Soul and Spirit Humanitarian Award, the Fair Housing Center of Metro Detroit Fair Housing Attorney Appreciation Award, and the The University of Olivet Leadership in Individual and Social Responsibility Award.
In addition, Judge Hood serves as a volunteer in various community groups including the The University of Olivet Board of Trustees, the Harper-Hutzel Hospital Board of Trustees and the InsideOut Literary Arts Project Board. Judge Hood is also very active in the United Church of Christ as has traveled on missions to five African countries. She is a graduate of Yale University and Columbia University School of Law.
Kay Kossen
Kay Kossen has been an attorney with the law firm of Kreis, Enderle, Hudgins & Borsos, P.C. for more than 15 years. Her real estate practice focuses on residential and commercial transactions, representing clients in drafting and negotiation of real estate transaction documents, developments, associations, leasing, and solving complex title issues.
Kossen is also highly involved in the rapidly growing field of elder law, advocating for retired people and those seeking to fund long-term care. She assists families in real estate transfers, estate and asset planning, qualification for Medicaid benefits, and disability planning, including guardianship and conservatorship issues for senior adults.
As a shareholder at Kreis Enderle, Kossen is a frequent speaker on topics of real estate, estate planning and elder law, and she has spoken to groups of real estate agents, financial planners and retirees. She has also written articles for professional publications involving real estate and elder law.
Kossen holds a bachelor’s degree from Hope College and a Juris Doctor from the Western Michigan University Cooley Law School.
Register Now
Learn more about professional communication skills and confrontation, negotiating, interviewing and establishing boundaries at Cultivating Women Leaders: Pioneering the Future on March 2. In addition, read more about all of the exceptional women leaders who will be presenting, including keynote speaker ATHENA International founder Martha Mayhood Mertz. For more information about The University of Olivet, contact the Office of Admissions at 800.456.7189 or admissions@uolivet.edu.