Dr. Therese Cristiani, Associate Professor Emeritus and former Chair of the Division of Counseling & Family Therapy at UM-St. Louis, created the model for the Empowering Young Women Conference in 1991 and served as Executive Director for 24 years. Due to her lifelong passion for this work, she is returning to the EYW conference to facilitate the creation of a plan for the future of this highly successful conference.