Women's Day
Visitation School Women's Day 2025
Visitation School Women’s Day is an occasion for Visitation Middle (6th-8th grades) and Upper School (9th-12th grades) students to step outside the regular curriculum and gain insight into careers, community involvement and current women’s issues. Held on April 4 at Visitation School, the 2025 theme is Poised to Lead. The overarching goal is to showcase different types of leaders and the many ways that women can lead in various arenas such as science/engineering, performing arts, business/management, athletics, education, medicine, marketing/entrepreneurship, manufacturing and more!
Questions or to learn more, contact Cecilia Petschel, Director of Communications and Marketing, at cpetschel@vischool.org or 651-683-1748.
Keynote Speaker - Mallory Weggemann
For Women’s Day 25, we are excited to welcome Mallory Weggemann as our keynote speaker. Mallory is a four-time Paralympian for Team USA who recently competed at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, winning gold and silver medals in swimming. A multi-time American and World record holder, ESPN ESPY Award recipient, and a 7-time Paralympic medalist (4 gold, 2 silver, 1 bronze), Mallory has utilized the platform of her professional swimmer career to be a fierce advocate for the disability community. In addition to her athletic career, Mallory has worked for NBC Sports at the 2018 and 2022 Winter Paralympic Games as a reporter and in-studio correspondent, and this summer, she made her hosting debut for NBC for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games on CNBC and E! before competing in the Paralympic Games.
In 2021 Mallory released her memoir, LIMITLESS, where she shared her journey of hope and resilience to overcome adversity, empowering readers to honor their journey and lean into their still unwritten futures. Following her paralysis at the age of 18, Mallory has found not only her passion, but purpose in the power that storytelling and sport hold to transcend and serve as a catalyst for change in our society.
Her passion is rooted in utilizing those platforms to work with her clients across all sectors and serve as advocate for authentic representation for the disability community from the workforce, to media and entertainment and in sport.
Visitation School is delighted to welcome nearly 30 woman leaders to Women's Day 2025. Thank you to all of our presenters!
Nicole Sullivan, President at Youth Frontiers
LeAnn Rasachak, CEO WomenVentures
Molly Kinsella, Vice President, Best Buy Creative, Content and Operations
Joyce Deeb, Electrical Engineer, CEO WolfWare
Meredith Lawrence ’13, Mendota Heights Parks & Recreation Director; Assistant Public Works Director
Lauren Berg Donovan ’04, Owner and President, Style-Architects, LLC
Keelia Wood ’16, Theater Technical Coordinator
Katie Bellows ’97, Owner, Body20
Sarah Voeller ’93, Attorney, Larkin Hoffman
Claire Repp ’09, Director of Communications and Marketing, Girl Scouts River Valley
Jane Leyden Cavanaugh, Global Synod Road Show, Retreat Director
Elizabeth Hickey Orme ’04, Founder and CEO, Creatively Focused
Lindsay Bruber Hickey ’02, CEO, Simeks
Molly McFadden ’14, Growth Equity Investor, Arthur Ventures
Dr. Madeline Gagnon ’01, Pediatric Director, Gillette Children’s Hospital
Brittany Clausen, CEO, Envision Greatness
Emily Jackson Farrell ’07, Founder, Abendroth Golf
Sairey Gernes ’95, Founder and President, Urban Undercover
Mary Stoick ’99, Senior Vice President, Sunrise Banks
Brigid Ryan Ling ’97, Vice President Marketing, Pitcher
Kate Armstrong Pico ’98, Orthopedic Hand Surgeon
Anne Marie Gillen, Founder & CEO Gillen Group, a Production Consultant Company
Stephanie Spence, Vice President - Finance - Pet Division, General Mills
Lisa Mulrooney ’91, Senior Director, Thomson Reuters