An Emmy-winning broadcaster and humorist who’s brought joy, thought-provoking commentary and plenty of fascinating stories to Sunday mornings for two decades will help Middle Tennessee State University celebrate its storytellers for National Women’s History Month.

Nancy Giles, a contributor to “CBS Sunday Mornings” since 2002, is scheduled to make the National Women’s History Month keynote address Thursday, March 23, at 6 p.m. in the second-floor ballroom of MTSU’s Student Union, 1768 MTSU Blvd.

That same night, starting at 8 p.m. in the same location, social media personality and comedian Brittany Broski will tell her own stories of daring to be a woman working in the entertainment industry.

Giles examines topics ranging from politics and race to pop culture and body image with her unique blend of common-sense wisdom, laugh-out-loud humor, social and political commentary and interviews. Broski, who emerged as a TikTok celebrity — and became a classic meme with her “NOPE …. well, maybe” reaction to kombucha — in 2019, has turned her humor into a full-time career.

MTSU’s monthlong celebration of women begins Wednesday, March 1, with a 2 p.m. opening ceremony and announcement of the annual Trailblazer Awards in the MT Center inside the Ingram Building at 2269 Middle Tennessee Blvd.  

The honors recognize members of the MTSU community, both on and off campus, who work to serve women. Winners are nominated and voted on by MTSU faculty, students and staff.

Following the 2023 NHWM theme, “Celebrating Women Who Tell Our Stories,” this year’s honorees have been active in all forms of media and storytelling, including print, radio, TV, stage, screen, blogs, podcasts and social media.  

The month also will feature lectures, music, film, art exhibits, crafting events and poetry readings focusing on female storytellers.  

The Tennessee Women’s Hall of Fame Exhibit will be on display all month in the second-floor hallway of the Keathley University Center, located at 1524 Military Memorial Drive in the center of campus.

Dr. Natalie LaFranzo, director of marketing communications for Personalis Inc. and a member-at-large of the American Chemistry Society board of directors, has two free public lectures planned for National Women’s History Month: “Beyond the Bench — Bringing Together Business, Chemistry and Creativity” on Monday, March 13, and “Allyship, Advocacy and the Future of STEM: Where Do I Fit In?” on Tuesday, March 14.

Both of LaFranzo’s talks are set for 6 p.m. in Room 1003 of MTSU’s Science Building, 440 Friendship St.

On Monday, March 27, two panel discussions will tackle talking about the death penalty in Tennessee, followed by an examination of gender, politics and medicine in the life of one of America’s first female physicians.

The almost hourlong panel discussions, “Women Telling their Stories of Life and Death,” are set for 10:20 a.m. and 12:40 p.m. March 27 in Room 106 of the Paul W. Martin Sr. Honors Building, 1737 Blue Raider Drive.

Their focus is the work of three women in telling their stories to the Tennessee public about the ways in which the death penalty traumatizes victims’ families, ensnares the innocent and saps vital state resources.

And at 3 p.m. March 27, Dr. Arleen M. Tuchman will join this spring’s Honors Lecture Series in Room 106 of the Honors Building when she discusses her experience writing “Science Has No Sex: The Life of Marie Zakrzewska, M.D.”  

A campus parking map is available at https://bit.ly/MTSUParking. Off-campus visitors can obtain a one-day permit at https://mtsu.edu/parking/visit.php  or park free in the university’s Rutherford Boulevard Lot and ride the Raider Xpress shuttle to the event sites.

A complete calendar of 2023 National Women’s History Month events at MTSU is available at https://bit.ly/MTWomensHistory2023Calendar. More information on the programs is available at www.mtsu.edu/jac/nwhm.php.

For more information and for updates on 2023 National Women’s History Month events at MTSU, contact Maigan Wipfli, director of MTSU’s June Anderson Center for Women and Nontraditional Students, at 615-898-2193 or maigan.wipfli@mtsu.edu.

— Gina E. Fann (gina.fann@mtsu.edu)