In a women's leadership event co-sponsored by the Lokey Graduate School of Business and the Financial Women's Association of San Francisco, Audrey Nelson discusses her coauthored book, Code Switching: How to Talk So Men Will Listen.
Dr. Nelson defines code switching as the ability to use your knowledge of two or more cultures or languages and switch between them, depending on the situation, to communicate. "Rather than telling women to be more like men - a recipe for failure - Code Switching offers a way of reaching across the aisle to open the lines of communication," says Dr. Nelson.
"It helps both women and men speak in common terms so work gets done, conflict gets resolved, and mutual understanding and respect prevail...in the workplace and beyond."
Bio
Cynthia Kopec
Cynthia Kopec brings 15 years of financial services marketing experience to her role as Senior Vice President of Marketing for Universal Savings Bank, where she oversees marketing for a range of consumer products, including mortgages, credit cards, and deposits.
Kopec specializes in online financial services marketing - having created interactive Websites and online financial services products at 6 different companies. Kopec received a bachelor's degree in art history from Pomona College and a master's degree in business administration from the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley.
During her first two years as an FWA board member, Kopec co-chaired the Membership Committee for the first six months and stepped into the VP role for the next eighteen. As Membership Committee Chair, she helped oversee a near two-fold increase in membership for 2004. As VP, her special projects included managing the redesign of the Website (creating an updated look and introducing new functionality, including an online application and a special board-only section), playing an instrumental role in starting the East Bay group, and co-chairing the 50th Anniversary Committee. Kopec served as President of FWA from 2006-2007.
Dr. Audrey Nelson
Audrey Nelson, PhD, is an internationally recognized communication consultant, seminar leader, and keynote speaker for a wide range of Fortune 50 companies and government agencies.
Dr. Nelson's professional background includes 10 years teaching in the Department of Communication at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and 30 years as a consultant and trainer for a wide variety of government and Fortune 50 companies. Among them are Price Waterhouse, Cargill, AT&T, Honeywell, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Upjohn Pharmaceuticals, Pentax, the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Forest Service, and the U.S. Department of Justice. She holds a BA, an MA, and a PhD in communication.
Laura Pilz
Laura Pilz is a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch Private Client Group in San Francisco. Her practice focuses on retirement planning and investment management strategies for individuals, families and business owners. Pilz has worked in the financial services industry for over 30 years, much of that with Bank of America.
Her education includes: BA in Economics from Chatham College and an MBA in Finance and Accounting from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Pilz has received the Certified Financial Planning certification and the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation. She serves on the Boards of the San Francisco Ladies Protection and Relief Society and the Maybeck Foundation.
Difference in opinions or attitudes between men and women concerning a variety of public and private issues, including political candidates, parties, or programs. Until the 1980s men and women in the U.S. exhibited similar voting habits. Since then, however, women have been more likely than men to support the Democratic Party and liberal policies, particularly on issues such as equal employment opportunity, child care, and gun control. In contrast, in western Europe women historically have been more likely than men to support conservative political parties.
There is not a single man in that audience for a very good reason. This is a sexist talk about the same feminist malarkey that has been joked about for the past 15 years. How is men and women switching roles progress? Why is it terrible for a woman to stay at home but acceptable for men to? If you are a guy look away quickly!!!
I am a man. Horny as the next guy. If a woman chooses to grace my day with some sex appeal as God intended them to do, then great. But lets get this straight. I am merely going to enjoy the aesthetics, and respect her choice to enjoy her humanity. I'm not about demote the nice lady to that of an object. NEWSFLASH Women can look hot and be treated as a competent equal, and men are now able to go about their business without hitting them on the head and dragging them into a cave. Unless of course that's what they want
member. 
