US Military Officer Rear Admiral Cari Thomas to speak at PNG Women's forum

One of the highest ranking officers in the U.S Coast Guard,   Rear Admiral Cari Thomas, and Marga Fripp, Founder and President of Empowered Women, will be traveling to Port Moresby from the United States to speak at the 2015 Papua New Guinea (PNG) Women’s Forum!

The forum is cohosted by the U.S. Embassy in Port Moresby and the PNG government, will take place from March 9 to 11 at the Crown Plaza Hotel. The Forum is FREE and all are welcome to apply to attend! Nominations are due January 23, so don't miss out! Apply today!

Admiral Thomas will tell the inspiring story of how she made it to the top in a male-dominated profession and share her strategies for overcoming gender barriers. Admiral Thomas is the Commander of the Fourteenth Coast Guard District, which has an area of responsibility that spans over 12.2 million square miles and includes the Hawaiian Islands, Guam, American Samoa and activities in Saipan, Singapore and Japan. Read her bio here: http://www.uscg.mil/flag/biography/CariThomas.pdf

Marga Fripp will lead a seminar on best practices in business management that will give PNG businesswomen and NGO leaders tips and tools to be more successful in their work. She is an award-winning social entrepreneur and international consultant in women’s leadership and empowerment with 20 years of experience solving social problems through the arts, innovation, and entrepreneurship. Read her bio here: http://ewint.org/about-us/who-we-are/#staff

Those who wish to attend the forum can download the nomination form here: http://photos.state.gov/…/nomination-form2015png-women-foru…, or stop by the U.S. Embassy (across from Deloitte Tower) or the American Corner at the National Library to pick up a copy. If you need the nomination form faxed to you, call us at+675-321-1455, x2128 or e-mail us at pdportmoresby@state.gov.

Participants will be selected through a competitive nomination process and nominations are due January 23. Sponsored travel and lodging is available for a selected number of participants thanks to sponsorship from the U.S. Embassy, the Australian High Commission Papua New Guinea, and ExxonMobil PNG.

For more information on the Forum, visit the US Embassy website at: http://portmoresby.usembassy.gov/forum.html