Former First Lady Laura W. Bush will be the keynote speaker at the 5th Annual 4word Gala. Alva Adams is the Honorary Chair and Charity Wallace is the event chair. Alva Adams is Senior Director of Multicultural Business Alliance and Strategy; and Multicultural Dealer Relations for Toyota Motor North America. Charity is the founder and president of Wallace Global Impact and, most recently, she was the Senior Advisor to Laura Bush and the Bush Institute. The eveningwill be held on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at the Dallas Renaissance Hotel, 2222 North Stemmons Freeway. It begins at 6:00 p.m. with a reception and the gala will start at 7:00 p.m.
Toyota is the Presenting Sponsor and Gold Corporate Sponsors areLocke Lord and Valiant Integrated Services and Monica and Leland White are Gold Individual Sponsors. Proceeds from the gala will benefit 4word, a faith-based community who empowers and inspires women in the workplace through personal connection and mentoring.
“4word is an organization that aligns with Toyota’s goals of helping women to grow and thrive in the business place,” said Honorary Chair Alva Adams. “Having spiritual awareness and support in the workplace is the key ingredient to properly handle obstacles that one may encounter.”
Sponsorships and Tickets: Tickets $1,500 (couple ticket) and $500 (Individual); Sponsorships range from $25,000 to $5,000. Sponsor recognition in print materials dependent on date of submission. Deadline for purchase is February 5. Purchase online: https://us.commitchange.com/tx/dallas/4word/events/gala-2020-an-evening-with-laura-bush
For More Information: Pam Johnson pjohnson@4wordwomen.org (503) 860-3816 or www.4wordwomen.org
LauraW.Bush, First Lady of the United States (2001-2009)
One of the most beloved and admired American First Ladies, for decades Laura Bush has championed key issues in the fields of education, health care, and human rights. She has traveled to more than seventy-six countries, including two historic solo trips to Afghanistan, and has launched groundbreaking education and healthcare programs in the U.S. and abroad. The author of the bestselling memoir, Spoken From The Heart, and co-author of children’s book, Our Great Big Backyard, Mrs. Bush also founded both the Texas Book Festival and the National Book Festival in Washington D.C. Today, as the Chair of the Woman’s Initiative at the George W. Bush Institute, Mrs. Bush continues her work on global healthcare innovations, empowering women in emerging democracies, education reform, and supporting the men and women who have served in America’s military.
Born in Midland, Texas to Jenna and Harold Welch, Laura Bush holds a degree in education from Southern Methodist University and a master’s degree in library science from the University of Texas. She taught in public schools in Dallas, Houston, and Austin, and worked as a public school librarian. In 1977, she married George W. Bush. President and Mrs. Bush are the parents of twin daughters: Barbara, married to Craig Coyne; and Jenna, married to Henry Hager; and proud grandparents of Mila, Poppy and Hal Hager.
Alva P. Adams, Honorary Chair
Alva Adams is Senior Director of Multicultural Business Alliance and Strategy; and Multicultural Dealer Relations for Toyota Motor North America. In this role, she is responsible for directing strategy for Toyota’s multicultural partnerships, organizational support and sponsorships relevant to Toyota/Lexus multicultural business initiatives covering the African American, Native American, women and veterans’ external/community outreach. She is also responsible for leading collaborative projects that engage the Toyota Lexus Minority Owners Dealership Association (TLMODA), including the National Association of Minority Automobile Dealers (NAMAD). Her leadership encompasses the coordination and communications with Toyota’s cross functional departments, executive leadership, field offices and internal Toyota Motor Sales departments and multicultural dealers.
Prior to her current role, Adams served as National Manager, African American Business Strategy for Toyota Motor Sales for three years. She led collaborative projects that advanced the company’s communication strategy and propelled specific diversity initiatives across Toyota’s North American Operations. Adams managed external media relations, strategic partnerships, philanthropic activities and government relations relevant to Toyota’s African American Business Strategy. She also oversaw efforts that encouraged diversity in team member volunteerism and community engagement opportunities. Adams began her career with Toyota in 1999. Prior to that, she served in several pivotal roles at Ford Motor Company’s minority dealer training program and retail dealer initiatives for nearly 13 years.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Adams holds a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Howard University and a certificate in diversity from the University of Houston. Adams currently serves as the Chair of the YWCA of Greater Los Angeles Board of Directors; and serves on the boards of The Salvation Army’s National Advisory Board, International Black Women’s Public Policy Institute and National College Resources Foundation. Her past board membership includes the Los Angeles Girl Scout Council and University of California Berkeley Parents Board. She is President Emeritus of Howard University Alumni Club of Southern California and is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Charity Wallace, Event Chair
Charity wrote the forward for Diane Paddison’s book Work, Love, Pray published in 2011 and joined the 4word board as an advisory member. She became a member of 4word’s C-Level group which meets annually, with women flying in from across the nation to meet with other C-level executives. Charity assisted when twins Barbara Bush Coyne and Jenna Bush Hager were the keynote speakers for the 2018 gala. She eagerly accepted the role as chair for the 2020 gala and will also interview Mrs. Bush for the 4word gala program.
Charity Wallace is the founder and president of Wallace Global Impact. Most recently, she was the Senior Advisor to Laura Bush and the Bush Institute, and the founding Vice President of the Global Women’s Initiatives, which aims to improve access to education, health care, and economic opportunity for women and children in Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Charity was the Chief of Staff to Laura Bush, and served all eight years in the Bush Administration, most notably as the Deputy Chief of Protocol of the United States and Director of Advance for First Lady Laura Bush. She serves as co-chair of the Board of the Akola Academy, as well as on the Boards of Advisors for the School of Public Policy at Pepperdine University, Strong Women Strong World, 4word Women, Nomi Network Leadership Council, All In Together; and is a member of the Women’s Initiative Policy Advisory Council at the Bush Institute, the Council on Foreign Relations and NationSwell. Charity holds a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Pepperdine University and a Masters in International Relations from the Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy at Tufts University.
Diane Paddison, 4word Founder and Executive Director
Diane Paddison, 4word Founder and Executive Director, is a Harvard MBA, former global executive of two Fortune 500 companies and one Fortune 1000 company, and serves as an independent director for two corporate and four not-for-profit boards. Diane is a leading advocate for Christian women in the workplace. Diane published Work, Love, Pray in 2011, laying the foundation for 4word and Be Refreshed . . . a year of devotions for women in the workplace in 2017. She is passionate about mentoring. She authors weekly posts at 4wordwomen.org and is a featured columnist for The Washington Times. Diane and her husband, Chris, have four children and one granddaughter and live in Dallas, Texas.
Proceeds Benefit: 4word is a Faith-Based Community that Empowers & Inspires Women in the Workplace through Personal Connection and 4word’s Mentoring Program to:
- Elevate Leadership and Match Calling and Gifts to Work (Professional)
- Build and Strengthen Relationships (Relational)
- Integrate Faith into all aspects of Life (Spiritual)
- Develop Inner Confidence and Discover Purpose
www.4wordwomen.org.
Connect with 4word on Social Media:
https://www.facebook.com/4wordwomen
https://www.instagram.com/4wordwomen/
https://twitter.com/4wordwomen
https://www.linkedin.com/company/4wordwomen/
https://www.pinterest.com/4wordwomen/
https://www.youtube.com/user/4wordwomen
https://plus.google.com/107732540196912548256
4word (4wordwomen.org) is a tax-exempt charity under the IRS code section 501(c)3, tax ID#27-2865980.