Join LexSeeHer for a town-wide celebration of International Women’s Day. Together with our guest speakers we will explore this year’s theme #EmbraceEquity by addressing
the challenges of equity for women working in traditionally male dominated fields. State Representative Michelle Ciccolo will start the evening and will be joined by Lexington Police Officer Elizabeth Brady, Lexington Police Officer Colleen Dunbar, Reverend Anne Mason of First Parish Church, Amber Iqbal, Islam educator, and Hemali Shah, Lexington Chief Equity Officer.

Our panel of speakers will share their experiences of striving for an equitable place in the workforce and in the community.

Michelle Ciccolo
Michelle Ciccolo has devoted her career to public service. She has worked as an executive in municipal government, held leadership positions in regional planning, and has been a highly regarded contributor to State boards and commissions. Michelle grew up in Lexington, attending LHS and is the first women to represent the 15th Middlesex District. 

Elizabeth Brady

Elizabeth Brady is a Police Officer for the Town of Lexington. She is a mother of a one -year-old daughter, and prior to becoming a police officer served in the Massachusetts Army National Guard for nine years.  She enjoy spending days off with her daughter and working out.

Lt. Detective Colleen Dunbar
Colleen started at the Lexington Police department in 1994 as a Police Cadet while attending Northeastern University. She has served in many roles during her career prior to her current position as the first female command staff member of the department.

Rev. Anne Mason
Reverend Anne Mason has served as the Senior Minister of First Parish Unitarian Universalist in Lexington for seven years. She is only the second woman to do so since its founding in 1692. Prior to ministry Anne was a classical singer and voice teacher, and has found her pathway bringing her artistic sensibilities into sacred settings. Anne strives to bring social justice into the center of her work, and experiences the joy of community within and beyond the walls of First Parish. She is currently on the Executive Board of the Lexington Interfaith Community Association.

Amber Iqbal
Amber came to the U.S. from Pakistan as a young bride and is now the mother of three beautiful children. A religious educator, she has taught Quran to kids, youth, and adults for more than 18 years. She has her own YouTube channel where she creates content to help Muslims, non-Muslims and especially the youth to understand Islam better. She speaks at churches, temples, and synagogues to
educate people about topics related to Islam in order to break stereotypes and to clear up misconceptions.

Hemali Shah
Hemali Shah is the Chief Equity Officer for the Town of Lexington. Hemali has a master’s degree in community and social psychology, from University of Massachusetts Lowell, and is a licensed social worker. Throughout her career, Hemali has demonstrated a commitment to advancing equity and creating more just and inclusive organization.

Prior to joining as the Chief Equity Officer, Hemali served as the Senior Services Director for the Town of Lexington, where she helped expand and make services more equitable for Lexington’s older adults. In her current role as Chief Equity Officer, Hemali is responsible for developing and implementing equity initiatives across the organization. This includes working closely with leadership to ensure equity is integrated into all aspects of the Lexington’s strategy, policies and practices. In addition to working closely with the internal organization, Hemali is responsible for engaging with the community to continue conversations around diversity, equity and inclusion.

Overall, Hemali is dedicated to creating a more equitable and inclusive organizations, and is committed to driving change both within the organization and in the broader community.

Register to receive the Zoom link.

LexSeeHer is a local nonprofit organization that works to make women visible in Lexington through forums, activities, and a monument to Lexington women's contributions across history. Learn more at https://www.lexseeher.com.

International Women's Day is observed worldwide on March 8th to celebrate women's achievements, raise awareness about gender bias, and work for equality.

https://www.internationalwomensday.com.

In partnership with LexSeeHer.

This program is made possible by the generous donors to the Cary Library Foundation.