Posted on: Tuesday, April 16, 2002
'Reinvented' Punahou grad shares advice with women
By Tanya Bricking
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Laurie Foster walked out of a corporate boardroom in New York one day in the mid-'90s and left her management consulting job of 15 years, only to find herself in a kitchen prep room the next day, cutting carrots and wondering whether starting Brew Moon restaurant was a wise career move.
The Punahou graduate went on to become president of Honolulu-based high-tech company hotU, which secured $4 million in venture capital to be an online forum where managers can recruit college students.
Now she has left that job title behind to pursue two new entrepreneurial ventures.
Foster also will be a featured speaker this week at a seminar where she'll give women real-life advice about how to reinvent themselves.
The Junior League of Honolulu organizers of the second annual "HerStory" conference like to think of Friday's seminar as a "day spa" where participants can relax and rejuvenate in the company of like-minded women.
"There are not many forums where women get to hear from women exclusively," Foster said. "Women see things through different lenses."
HerStory aims to combine the traditional conference structure with the intimacy of a "talk-story" setup.
Speakers include award-winning entertainer and author Bertice Berry, who progressed from years of poverty and not being deemed college material to earning a doctorate in sociology and becoming a professor at Kent State University.
Na Leo Pilimehana, a trio of women who quit their day jobs to form their own record company, will talk about friendship, personal priorities and taking a chance on doing something they love.
Dr. Jennifer Berman, a urologist from the Female Sexual Medicine Center at the University of California-Los Angeles, will discuss women's reproductive health issues and sexual needs.
Participants will be able to choose from eight sessions in which Hawai'i professionals such as American Savings Bank President Constance Lau and American Cancer Society Marketing Director Jackie Young will touch on aspects of women's lives such as family, career, health, home interior design and caregiving.
"I see this as a wonderful opportunity for women to get together and create synergy," said Donna Ching, an extension specialist at the University of Hawai'i, who does leadership workshops around the state.
Ching, who will be the endnote speaker, wants to help women do more than listen to speakers. She wants to help them articulate how they might use information from the conference to change their lives.
"As women, we really nurture other people," she said. "But we tend not to nurture ourselves as much."
The conference is from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday at Ko'olau Golf Club, 45-550 Kionaole Road in Kane'ohe. General registration is $85. Call 946-6466 for information.
Reach Tanya Bricking at tbricking@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8026.
