HISTORY

Throughout the ages, women have been leaders in the home, in business, professions, government and non-profit areas. The idea of bringing together Tarrant County women originated in the 1980s. The endeavors of Women's Policy Forum co-founders Karen Perkins and Peg Knapp were initially sponsored by The Women's Center of Tarrant County. The first general membership meeting of the Women's Policy Forum was held in January of 1987. The first membership directory was published in July 1988.

Sandy Kautz, Betty Rowland, Sally Burt, and Kerry Neuhardt

Sandy Kautz, Betty Rowland, Sally Burt, and Kerry Neuhardt

Emerging Issues Symposia

  • 2015 Roadmap to the Future: Health, Education, Policy and Business in 2030
  • 2016 Future Smart: What does the Future Expect of Us?
  • 2017 In the Driver's Seat: Fueling Economic Security and Opportunity for Women
  • 2018 Closing the Gender Gap: Its Effects on Women, Families and the Economy
  • 2019 Glass Ceilings |Glass Floors: Breaking Through for Gender Equity
  • 2020 The Changing Face of Health Care
  • 2022 The Journey to Mental Health Wellness in Tarrant County

Past Celebrity Breakfast Speakers

  • 1995 Liz Carpenter, journalist
  • 1998 Jane Bryant Quinn, author, finance
  • 1999 Hazael O'Leary, former Secretary of Energy
  • 2000 Lynn Sherr, ABC News
  • 2001 Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, human rights advocate
  • 2002 Diane Rehm, NPR talk show host
  • 2003 Sally Ride, PhD, NASA astronaut
  • 2004 Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Olympic athlete
  • 2005 No event
  • 2006 Mavis Nicholison Leno, activist for Afghan women
  • 2007 Sonia Nazario, Pulitzer-prize winning journalist
  • 2008 Lynn Brewer, author/CEO Integrity Institute
  • 2009 Jane Elliott, author, discrimination
  • 2010 Terry Savage, author, commentator, personal finance
  • 2011 Erma Johnson Hadley, Tarrant County College Chancellor


Past Chairs

  • Karen Perkins 1988
  • Peg Knapp 1989
  • Jayne Lipe 1990
  • Loralee Pohl 1991
  • Louise Carvey 1992
  • Elaine Klos 1993
  • Anne Diveley 1994
  • Harriet Harral 1995
  • Carolyn Robertson 1996
  • Jane W. Hardwick 1997
  • Sandra Gonzales 1998
  • Judith Harman 1999
  • Susan Wilcox 2000
  • Judy Stempel 2001
  • Cheryl Ford-Mente 2002
  • Libby Lanzara 2003
  • E. Kim Dignum 2004
  • Victoria Powell 2005-2006
  • Kathryn Bryan 2007
  • Sally Burt 2008
  • Monica Prather 2009
  • Nancy MItchell 2010
  • Mary Lee Hafley 2011
  • Barbara Williams 2012
  • Sheryl Harris 2013
  • Rachel Malone 2014
  • Tracy Marshall 2015
  • Margaret DeMoss 2016
  • Pat Cheong 2017
  • Karen Myers 2018
  • Cathy Neece Brown 2019
  • Linda Garcia 2020
  • Cathy Holt 2021
  • Karmen Rubin 2022
  • Rebecca Montgomery 2023


Outstanding Service Awards

  • 2018 - Tarrant County College Foundation
  • 2017 - Tarrant County College Foundation
  • 2016 - Tarrant County College Foundation
  • 2015 - Young Women's Leadership Academy
  • 2014 - Girl's, Inc.of Tarrant County
  • 2013 - Alzheimer's Association
  • 2012 - Girl Scouts-Oklahoma Plains
  • 2011 - Women’s Center of Tarrant County
  • 2010 - SafeHaven of Tarrant County
  • 2009 - YWCA of Fort Worth & Tarrant County
  • 2008 - Girl's Inc. of Tarrant County
  • 2007 - Refugee Services Catholic Charities
  • 2006 - Hispanic Women's Network, AAUW, Feminist Majority
  • 2005- No event
  • 2004- Texas Special Olympics
  • 2003 - Tarrant County Family Pathfinders
  • 2002 - Girl Scouts Circle T
  • 2001 - Amnesty International, Robert F. Kennedy Memorial
  • 2000 - Planned Parenthood of North Texas
  • 1999 - Women's Shelter of Arlington
  • 1998 - Women's Center

 A special Thank you to the Fort Worth Public Library for housing the Women's Policy Forum archives. 

WOMEN’S POLICY FORUM | P.O. Box 11246  •  Fort Worth, Texas 76110 | info@womenspolicyforum.org

Women's Policy Forum is a non-partisan educational and networking organization. 
Views expressed in presentations are those of the speaker and do not imply endorsement by WPF.

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