Women's Leadership Conference

A conference organized to empower women, develop greater leadership capacity and build inspiring connections. It was designed not only to provide powerful tools for leadership success but to put them into action through our new "Community Challenge" component. Want to change your life and change the world for the better? Celebrate and learn from and with the talented women in our community by getting involved and attending this amazing event!

The 2008 conference was a great success, selling-out two months before the registration deadline and ending with positive evaluations from all who attended. Evaluations showed that 100% of participants would recommend the conference to others to attend and said they would return (the 2009 conference was postponed until 2010 to launch the new Community Challenge component).

The conference is our local solution to enact change and affect our community in a very positive way. Here are some comments from participants about the experience:

“Unreal and so incredibly rewarding and touching”
“The information I took in was amazing”
“WarChild seminar was gripping and unbelievable”
“The amazement of being in the company of incredible, diverse… women”
“My communication with my employees will improve”
“I am more informed about communication and therefore more confidence”
“I feel stronger”
“Each year builds on my leadership skills”
“I would love to come back next year. More women need to be nourished this way. Thank you”

Why a women's only event?

Often people wonder, why is the conference restricted to women? Leadership is not limited by gender by any means and it is our intent over time to branch into different areas. However, with starting the conference as a female-focused event, we have found their is a unique atmosphere created that participants truly appreciate. Here are some reasons to why we started the conference as a female-focused venue:

Because we can and because it is fun! Why not!
To learn about the great things women are doing in the community to improve or exercise their leadership.
To find and hear from local role models and mentors who are women in our community, and abroad.
To nurture professional and personal development in an open environment - one that is unique with all women.
To expand professional and personal female networks.
To gain new perspectives and approaches to common female roles or stereotypes.
To make a difference - to learn about other international and local female-focused issues and to support improvements through our Commuity ChallengeTM: http://www.girleffect.org http://www.halftheskymovement.org
To inspire more women to take on leadership positions and get more women involved in leadership roles!

"According to Catalyst’s 2009 census of the Fortune 500, women are missing from critical business leadership, and that doesn’t make much sense because there are many reasons to include women in senior-level roles" (Whitney, K. "Women Missing From Key Leadership Positions". Jan. 25, 2010).

lead•er•ship (lē'dər-shĭp')
-noun
• The position or office of a leader: ascended to the leadership of the party.
• Capacity or ability to lead: showed strong leadership during her first term in office.
• A group of leaders: met with the leadership of the nation's top unions.
• Guidance; direction: The business prospered under the leadership of the new president.

Taken from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company. www.dictionary.com, Jan. 2010)