Own Your Power
Time: 2:45 pm – 3:45 pm
Location: Capitol Complex Visitors Center Auditorium
Address: 425 S College St, Springfield, IL, 62701
Women often shy away from the word “power” and let’s face it, you can’t blame them. The news and social media feeds are filled with stories about abuse of power. What’s more, for many, we have had our own experiences with power being used to keep us from attaining a promotion or prevent us from sharing our opinions. We don’t often hear stories about when power was used for good even though it happens all the time. So why would women want to own power?
Our esteemed panel of influential Illinois women are here to unpack the definition of power and help women leverage their very desirable leadership qualities, among which include strong communication and collaboration skills.
OUR SPEAKERS
Andrea Aggertt, AIA, NCARB
Architect of the Capitol
State of Illinois
Andrea Aggertt grew up on a family farm near Effingham Illinois. She received her Bachelors of Science in Architecture from Southern Illinois University Carbondale and a Masters of Architecture from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Upon graduation she went to work for a Midwest based Architecture-Engineering firm in Bloomington Illinois, where she led multi-million dollar projects in various sectors throughout the Midwest. In 2019, Andrea accepted the position of Architect of the Illinois State Capitol. She is tasked with developing and executing a long-range plan for the complex to oversee repair, rehabilitation, construction and renovation projects on the complex.
Ms. Aggertt is only the third Architect of the Capitol and the first women to hold the position.
Linda Reneé Baker
University Professor
Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Southern Illinois University
In her role at the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, Linda Reneé Baker’s focus is on expanding access to high-quality health care in partnership with the SIU School of Medicine as well as helping minorities and people with disabilities reach their full potential.
Before joining the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute in 2003, Baker held key managerial positions under three Illinois governors, notably serving as the Secretary of Illinois’ largest state agency, the Department of Human Services.
As secretary of the Department of Human Services, she led and managed a comprehensive human services agency with about 20,000 employees and an annual budget of about $5 billion. The agency provided services in the areas of community health and prevention, mental health, substance abuse, developmental disabilities, and vocational rehabilitation. The agency also directed and implemented the state’s nationally recognized welfare reform efforts.
She previously served as director of the Department of Employment Security, assistant director of the Department of Public Aid and as the first African-American legislative liaison for an Illinois governor.
Baker earned a Ph.D. in public administration from the University of Illinois at Springfield in 2004. She also holds a bachelor’s and master’s degree in gerontology and healthcare administration and public administration from that institution.
Rebecca Losli
President
Illinois American Water
Rebecca Losli currently serves as President of Illinois American Water, the largest regulated water and wastewater utility in Illinois, providing services to approximately 1.3 million people. In her role, Losli reinforces and strengthens customer, regulatory and local government relationships, drives operational and financial results and is the principal external contact for Illinois American Water.
Ms. Losli joined American Water in 2021 as Director of Engineering for Missouri American Water. In this role, Losli oversaw the overall performance of the Missouri American Water Engineering Department. Losli’s responsibilities grew with an expansion to the role of Vice President of Engineering and Business Development for Missouri American Water in 2022, where she oversaw all engineering activities including capital planning, GIS management, Asset management, project delivery, operational support, and environmental compliance support.
Before joining American Water, Losli served as the Program Manager of Program Planning for the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District. She also founded and was President of Losli Engineering and was the Water Regional Global Practice Leader for Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company.
In addition to her role as Chair of the Illinois Utility Business Diversity Council, Losli also serves on the Board of Directors of the St. Louis Urban League, the Engineers’ Club of St. Louis, and the Advisory Board for the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.
She received master’s degrees in environmental engineering and business administration from Washington University and bachelor’s degrees in civil engineering from Washington University and in physics and mathematics from Samford University.
OUR MODERATOR
Amanda Vinicky
Vice President, Communications
Intersect Illinois
Amanda Vinicky is vice president, communications at Intersect Illinois. Most recently, she was a correspondent and host of the recap program “Week in Review” who focuses primarily on Illinois government and politics—though her insatiable curiosity lead her to cover a little bit of everything. Vinicky joined “Chicago Tonight” in 2017, after spending a decade as the Statehouse Bureau Chief for NPR Illinois and the Illinois Public Radio network. She also co-hosted WSEC-TV’s “CapitolView,” and was a regular analyst on the “State Week” roundtable. Her work and analysis has been featured on shows including NPR’s “Morning Edition,” “All Things Considered” and “The Takeaway,” and she’s garnered top honors from the Illinois Associated Press and the Association of Capitol Reporters and Editors, and is proud to have earned a pair of Emmys as part of the WTTW team.
Vinicky received her master’s degree in Public Affairs Reporting from the University of Illinois Springfield and has degrees in political science and journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She began her career in the Chicago suburbs (where she grew up) as a newspaper reporter. Vinicky is always looking for stories to tell, foods to try, books to read and new places to discover.