Regent Developing Women Leadership

This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend Capital Law School’s Wells Conference on Adoption with Professor Lynne Marie Kohm in Columbus, Ohio. My attendance was all due to the generous support of Regent University. Regent recognizes the importance of supporting and developing women leaders.

In anticipation of the event, I was able to help Professor Kohm research and prepare for her presentation entitled “Rethinking Mom and Dad,” which detailed the law and social science on whether children do best with both a mother and a father, and why that is the case. At the event, I helped Professor Kohm run the power point and video links for her presentation. Being at the conference with Professor Kohm gave me the chance to network with several other law professors and legal professionals. 

I also think this experience was instrumental because it gave me a front row seat to watch and learn from Professor Kohm. I look up to Professor Kohm in many ways but one of the most important is her courage and grace in presenting truth and light in a dark world. Just take this conference as an example; Professor Kohm was the only presenter out of about ten who was advocating that the best interest of a child involves a mother and a father. She was incredible in her ability to be firm in her research and arguments yet sensitive to others. Watching her present and interact with the audience and other presenters at the conference taught me much about what it looks like to be a Christian leader who changes the world.

I am confident that this experience will have a profound impact on developing my own leadership abilities and has furthered my desire to continue to be involved in issues of restoring the family. It has also given me the confidence to now go to the next conference with Professor Kohm in April in Chicago (for a presentation entitled “The Politics of Family Fragmentation”) where she is graciously allowing me to co-present with her.

I am blessed to be at a school that recognizes the importance of supporting future leaders and has professors that are willing to train these students.

--Rachel Kathleen Toberty 

Regent University Law School, Candidate for J.D., 2013

Editor In Chief, Regent Journal of Law and Public Policy