糖心少女

Women鈥檚 Leadership Summit

is FREE and open to all currently enrolled 糖心少女 community members, with a special focus on students. The Women鈥檚 Leadership Summit is a forum for participants in the Cal State San Marcos community to connect, explore, and engage with topics related to women鈥檚 leadership and empowerment.

This year's theme, "Unapologetically You: Leading from Within," invites participants to reflect on how authenticity, identity, and lived experiences shape leadership. Through networking activities and interactive sessions, students will have the opportunity to build supportive connections with diverse women leaders across a variety of professional fields and life experiences.

Participants will also explore their individual identities and the unique ways those identities influence their leadership styles. Through these experiences and community connections, students will be encouraged to challenge limitations placed on women and gain the confidence to empower themselves and others.

• WHEN: Friday, March 20th, 2026, at 10 AM - 1 PM
• WHERE: USU Ballroom
• RSVP:  

  • Registration is encouraged, but participants are also welcome to attend the day of the event.

Rooted in the philosophies of intersectional feminism, we recognize that while women experience oppression, these experiences vary based on factors such as race, age, class, gender identity, sexuality, and ability. With this understanding, we strive to create a space where everyone at the Women鈥檚 Leadership Summit feels supported, included, and represented. We are intentionally inclusive of transgender, nonbinary, intersex, gender non-conforming, and male-identified individuals.

All registered 糖心少女 students are encouraged to participate. 糖心少女 does not consider sex, gender, or any other protected status as part of the registration process. Providing one's pronouns is OPTIONAL and is not required or considered part of the registration process for one's attendance at the symposium. 

Questions?

Email: amcgeever@csusm.edu

Individuals who would like to attend this event and require special accommodations are encouraged to contact amcgeever@csusm.edu. Participants requiring auxiliary aids鈥攕uch as sign language interpreters or alternative format materials鈥攁re requested to notify the event sponsor at least seven working days in advance. Every reasonable effort will be made to provide accommodations in a timely and effective manner.

2026 Schedule Overview:

2026 Speakers & Topics

• Keynote Speaker: Dr. Natacha Cesar-Davis
  

  Keynote Speaker: Dr. Natacha Cesar-Davis is a distinguished academic and seasoned practitioner, embodying a wealth of experience across diverse post-secondary roles on both the East and West coasts. Her unwavering commitment to student success is evident in her dynamic collaborations with faculty, staff, and administrators, fostering research-practice partnerships that amplify student learning and retention. Dr. Cesar-Davis has delved into the intricate dynamics of students' intersectional identities, illuminating the path to vocational development. Her research explores faculty pedagogies shaping student engagement, the pivotal role of services like financial aid in fostering student belonging, and how faculty life histories enrich students' navigational and social capital. Holding Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Boston College and a second Master's and Ph.D. in Education from UCLA, she has worked as a full-time tenure track faculty at two community colleges, counselor and advisor at both public and private universities, Director of an HSI grant and most recently as Assistant Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UCLA's School of Education and Information Studies. Currently, she serves as the Inaugural Senior Director of the Student Life Cycle at California State University San Marcos, reporting to both the VP of Academic Affairs and Student Affairs, overseeing the strategic planning and coordination of success and retention initiatives.鈥� 

• Leading Without Burning Out: Reclaiming Your Capacity as a Woman in Leadership with Dr. Shanelle Watkins
  

  Dr. Shanelle Watkins is the Director of the Chancellor鈥檚 Associates Scholars Program at the University of California, San Diego, and the founder of Leading While Becoming, a coaching and leadership development platform that supports Black women and women of color in navigating their careers with clarity, confidence, and purpose. She also teaches undergraduate leadership courses and facilitates learning spaces centered on growth, reflection, and identity. Her research explores how Black women students come to understand themselves as leaders, with particular attention to how race, gender, power, and belonging shape their experiences in higher education. Through her scholarship, teaching, and coaching, Dr. Watkins creates spaces where women can lead authentically, embrace their voices, and grow into their evolving sense of self.

   

  Leading Without Burning Out: Reclaiming Your Capacity as a Woman in Leadership: Many women in leadership are not struggling due to a lack of skill or ambition; they are struggling because they are exhausted. This interactive workshop explores capacity as a leadership resource, defined as the balance of energy, time, and emotional space. Through reflection and discussion, participants will examine how overcommitment, caregiving, and professional expectations can lead to burnout. The session reframes rest as an essential part of sustainable leadership and offers practical tools to help participants protect their capacity, set boundaries, and lead with greater alignment and sustainability.

   

  Please note that Dr. Watkins will also be a part of the women's leadership panel. 
• Existence is Resistance with Lesley Ojeda & Scarlett Lang
  

  Existence is Resistance: Explore the legacy and types of activism throughout Women's History to recognize how our own forms of activism are examples of everyday existence. Pulling inspiration from empowering diverse identities and celebrating their unapologetic truth. Reflecting with a discussion and journaling activity, to help you develop your own form of activism within leadership.

  Please see below for Lesley and Scarlett鈥檚 biographies listed under Committee Members.

• Resisting the Imposter Syndrome Myth and Redefining Self-Care with Karen Tinajero-Vazquez
  

  Resisting the Imposter Syndrome Myth and Redefining Self-Care: This session dispels the myth of imposter syndrome, a phenomenon in which people feel unworthy and experience an overwhelming sense of self-doubt. Imposter syndrome has been discussed widely, mostly directed towards women, but has been framed as a problem the 鈥渋ndividual鈥� should fix. These conversations have ignored people of color, historically marginalized folks, systemic inequities, bias, and racism across institutions. This session will empower attendees to reject this outdated narrative and embrace self-love and care rooted in activism and collectivism.

  Please see below for Karen's biography listed under Committee Members.

• Reproductive Justice Through a Chicana Feminist Lens with Angelica Solorio & Matilda Haro (Feminist Unite)
  

  Angelica Solorio is a third-year Criminology & Justice Studies student, proudly serving as the President of Feminists Unite. She comes from  LA County, specifically the South Bay, and is of Mexican and Salvadoran heritage. Her primary focus is on advocacy, particularly in areas of reproductive justice, victim support, and community empowerment. 

  Matilda Haro is a first-generation Colombian Peruvian student who was born and raised in the LA area. She is a third-year Criminology & Justice Studies student and intends to pursue further education in the future. Matilda is the newest addition to the Feminists Unite team, serving as the Co-Social Media Manager. In addition to her studies, she works full-time as a manager at Chipotle. Matilda is passionate about advocacy and activism, and hopes to pursue a career in policy work after graduation. 

  Reproductive Justice Through a Chicana Feminist Lens: This workshop, led by Feminist Unite, explores reproductive justice through the lens of Chicana feminism, examining how race, culture, gender, and systemic inequities shape reproductive rights and bodily autonomy. Participants will engage in conversation about the historical and contemporary struggles faced by Chicana and Latina communities while highlighting the power of cultural resistance, community advocacy, and collective action in advancing reproductive justice.
• Panelist: Myshell Thomas
  

  Myshell Thomas is originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. She has been an activist in the Trans* and Queer Community in the San Diego area since 2015. With a passion for protecting civil rights for all historically marginalized communities, she has focused her efforts in recent years on the North County region. As Program Coordinator for the Gender Advocacy Project at the North County LGBTQ Resource Center, she has brought that spirit of advocacy to specialize in the gender-diverse community. Celebrating all the beautiful, different ways there are to be human.

• Panelist: Rosa Hunt, MA
  

  Rosa Hunt is a mental health educator at Student Health and Counseling Services, where she works closely with students to implement mental health initiatives. One project she oversees is the Art and Mental Health Workshop series in collaboration with the Makery. She is passionate about integrating creative practices in her mental health programming and using art to promote human rights. She enjoys working with 糖心少女 students and seeing the many ways they learn about themselves through outreach and how they continue to make positive changes in their communities and personal lives. She received her MA in Psychological Science, where she researched social cognitive development, including children鈥檚 understanding of social categories, such as gender and race. 

• Panelist: Kesha Dorsey
  

  Kesha Dorsey is the Chief Strategy Officer at Coastal Roots Farm, where she has led communications, development, and organizational strategy for nearly 8 years. With more than a decade of experience in the nonprofit sector, her professional work and volunteerism have focused on advancing community wellbeing, equity, and opportunity across San Diego County through youth development, public health, and civil rights initiatives. Kesha holds a BA in Sociocultural Anthropology and a Master鈥檚 in Public Health and is passionate about values-driven leadership that empowers individuals to lead with purpose and authenticity.

• Panelist: Char Booth
  

  Char Booth is the 糖心少女 Associate Dean of the 糖心少女 University Library from 2015-2024. Char鈥檚 work explores the intersection of advocacy, leadership, and pedagogy in higher education libraries. Char was previously the Director of Research, Teaching, and Learning Services at the Claremont Colleges Library, and has held positions at the University of California at Berkeley and Ohio University. Their publications include the Ilene F. Rockman Award-winning Reflective Teaching, Effective Learning: Instructional Literacy for Library Educators (ALA Editions), and Informing Innovation: Tracking Student Interest in Emerging Library Technologies (ACRL).

2026 Planning Committee Members

• Co-Chair: Alycia McGeever
  

  Co-Chair: Alycia McGeever (she/her) is the Assistant Director of the Women and Gender Equity Center (WGEC). She is a UC Irvine alum with a BA in Sociology and Education Sciences. She started her Student Affairs career at 糖心少女 as a Graduate Assistant in 2019. She received her Master's in Postsecondary Educational Leadership from SDSU in 2021. Working at the WGEC is a dream come true as it combines her love of intersectional feminism and student advocacy! Before working at 糖心少女, she worked for Girl Scouts and Girls Incorporated, empowering young women to believe in themselves. She enjoys traveling, exploring new food spots, and baking! 

• Co-Chair: Makayla Hall
  

  Co-Chair: Makayla Hall (she/her) is the Coordinator of Leadership Programs for the Student Leadership and Involvement Center. She is a Chapman University alum with a BA in Integrated Educational Studies and Psychology. With a love for leadership, she continued her educational journey at Chapman and received her Master鈥檚 in Leadership Development in 2022. She is passionate about leadership, cultivating a sense of belonging, and fostering a care-centered environment. She enjoys all things outdoors and loves to spend time traveling with friends and family! 

• Staff Representative: Karen Tinajero-Vazquez
  

  Karen Tinajero-Vazquez (she/her/ella) is a Reference and Instruction Librarian at the 糖心少女 Kellogg Library. She works primarily with first-year students and teaches foundational information literacy and research skills. She is a UC Riverside and University of Southern California alumna, where she received her Master鈥檚 of Management in Library and Information Science. Her current research interests include collective and intentional self-care, academic internships, and validation theory. She鈥檚 passionate about maintaining her Duolingo streak and spends her free time practicing her violin and playing video games.

• Faculty Representative: Dr. Mikee Inton-Campbell
  

  Dr. Mikee Inton-Campbell (she/her) is an assistant professor of Women鈥檚, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at California State University San Marcos, where she teaches Trans and Queer of Color Studies. Her work centers on trans representation in Philippine and Asian film and media. She is also a board member of the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines (STRAP) and a senior fellow at the Center for Applied Trans Studies (CATS).

• Staff Representative: Megan Muret
  

  Megan Muret (she/her) is the Associate Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, University Advancement. She is a UCLA alum ('21), where she earned a BA in Economics with a minor in Spanish. She also holds a Master's in Educational Leadership from TCU ('22). Megan's passion for higher education stems from her time as a beach volleyball student-athlete at both UCLA and TCU, an experience that shaped her career trajectory. She is motivated and inspired by the transformative power of education and the leadership development opportunities it offers. Megan believes in fostering a culture of empowerment, connection, and growth. Outside of work, she still enjoys playing beach volleyball and loves spending time outdoors with family and friends.   
• Student Representative: Lesley Ojeda
  

  Lesley Ojeda (She/Her/Ella) is a first-generation Xicana college student majoring in Ethnic Studies with a Minor in American Indian Studies. She currently works at the Women and Gender Equity Center, where she enjoys connecting with students through education and programs about intersectionality. Lesley is the Co-Chair of M.E.Ch.A. de 糖心少女, an organization that鈥檚 dedicated to activism, culture, and community through higher education, social justice,  and leadership for the Latinx youth. She is passionate about social justice and community building, hoping that she can one day become a professor and teach Ethnic Studies at MiraCosta College. In her free time, she enjoys hanging out with her friends, playing video games, Danza Azteca, going to the beach, and occasionally playing the piano or the drums.

• Student Representative: Scarlett Lang
  

  Scarlett Lang (She/Her) is a college student majoring in Literature and Writing Studies to transfer into a Single-Subject Teaching Credential Program. She is a third-time returning Leadership Ambassador for the S.L.I.C Office with a focus on the S.O.L.E Effects Leadership Journey. She is passionate about education and learning through the arts. She spends her free time working in community theater programs as a lighting designer. She hopes to become an English and Theater teacher for high school and uses her time to grow those passions more. She enjoys painting, spending time with friends, adopting all kinds of animals, and studying.