For Immediate Release
June 12, 2007
Contact:   Melanie McDonald, director of media relations, 574-284-4579

"Washington Post" columnist delivers keynote for 50+ conference at Saint Mary's

NOTRE DAME, Ind.--Saint Mary's College welcomes all women turning age 50 or older to the "New Road-No Rules" conference from Friday, July 13 to Sunday, July 15. The weekend will feature panel discussions and expert sessions on health and wellness, finances, "encore" careers, finding meaningful activity, nurturing your inner self and more.

The keynote address, delivered by Washington Post journalist Abigail Trafford, is Friday at 8 p.m. in the Student Center. Trafford is the author of My Time:   Making the Most of the Bonus Years After 50 and Crazy Time:   Surviving Divorce and Building a New Life. Her weekly column in the health section of the Post , titled My Time , chronicles the period of life that follows middle age. An accomplished journalist, she was health editor at the Post for 14 years and worked for U.S. News & World Report , Time , and National Geographic . She is a graduate of Bryn Mawr, a women's college, and lives in Washington, D.C.

Other presenters include a university professor who retired to join the Peace Corps, an author who found an "encore" career as a paralegal, and an advocate for women's health care. The conference will be moderated by Ann Hagan, a Saint Mary's College alumna, lawyer, and organizational consultant with expertise in change management, leadership transitions, and people strategies.

To register, visit www.saintmarys.edu/~alumnae or call 574-284-4578. The seminar fee is $215 for those staying off campus. That cost includes meals and conference materials. For those wanting to stay on campus, the cost is $265. Registration is due by July 2. The event is sponsored by the Saint Mary's College Alumnae Association.

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