Program areas at Foundation for Women's Leadership and Empowerment
The Women's Leadership conference the Women's Leadership conference ("wlc"). Our bedrock belief at the Foundation for Women's Leadership & Empowerment's ("fwle") is that genuine equal opportunity for women to advance - including women of color and other underrepresented segments, requires equal access to education and development. Fwle exists to educate primarily women and also men leaders in essential skills for success, primarily Leadership competencies. By doing so, fwle will help expand the pipeline of women and men leaders, promote gender equity in Leadership teams, and advocate for Women's advancement across society. That is what wlc, fwle's signature program, aims to accomplish. Fwle assumed the role of owner and producer of the pre-existing annual wlc pursuant to a charitable donation from the mgm resorts Foundation effective as of december 31, 2019. At the time of the transfer wlc had already been established as one of the premier, if not the premier, Leadership development conferences in the western united states for women. Since then fwle has solidified wlc's reputation as the 1 ranked Women's Leadership conference in las vegas nv. Fwle seeks to expand the social and business impact of wlc to a broader platform of developmental programming, beyond wlc and beyond Nevada, for education of women leaders. Since 2019 - against the headwinds of the pandemic and its turbulent aftermath - wlc has continued to provide a diverse community of professionals with a singular combination of elements that inspire them to aspirational Leadership and higher development, educate them in essential Leadership competencies, and facilitate the crucial art of relationship networking. Fwle has continued to fortify wlc's education offerings. Our 2023 wlc presented the 16th annual edition of wlc, featuring the below elements that have become emblematic of the wlc experience: main stage presentations by keynote speakers/panels who are acclaimed cross-industry role models from all levels of Leadership. In addition to its keynote speakers, 2023 wlc initiated a new program segment featuring a moderated roundtable discussion among women presidents & ceos of major american companies. Multi-faceted education sessions/workshops led by subject matter experts. Our education sessions, which teach Leadership competencies and skills and explore real-life organizational issues, were presented across three different career tracks - emerging leaders (entry-, first-line and supervisory levels); emerging executives (mid-level leaders), and executives. Our breakout sessions, which are curated to the Leadership level of the audience track, drive lessons that address the various dimensions of these core Leadership competencies defined by fwle: o adapts to change & drives innovation o builds relationships & coalitions o business acumen & business judgment o continuous learning & development o develops others to build talent o effective communication with all levels o excellence in results through others o integrity o promotes wellness o sets vision & direction o social responsibility. Building relationship networks. Wlc participants are all high-achieving colleagues from diverse backgrounds and workplaces who share the common goal of advancing their Leadership skills, careers, and mutually beneficial professional relationships. Wlc offers ample opportunities for participants to make new connections and build on personal and professional relationships. In addition to conference breaks, fwle strives to feature interactive displays that encourage attendee participation and mutual interaction, for example, a mechanism to match participants seeking mentors with participants willing to mentor, and an advice board where participants provide removable advice cards responding to specific modern-day Leadership situations and challenges. Wlc has been successful over the years because it offers our participants a Leadership learning experience focused on inspiration, content, and connections they feel they cannot replicate elsewhere - whether in the workplace, classrooms, or otherwise. As two 2023 wlc survey respondents stated: "this conference will show you the skills that employers seek, empower you to become your own best leader, and give you the tools to thrive in your career." "the atmosphere of the conference is something everyone should have the chance to experience."
Aspiring women iii webinar series in 2023 fwle produced aspiring women series iii: presented by fwle, the Foundation's virtual program. This webinar series is founded on two basic premises: that today's leaders have a thirst for continuous learning beyond our two-day Women's Leadership conference ("wlc") - as efficacious as wlc may be, and a broader audience can potentially be reached through a virtual platform. Aspiring women iii achieved 2,213 total registrants across five sessions, demonstrating the desire of leaders for continuous learning. Like wlc, our aspiring women series examines Leadership topics that are designed to build skills and strategies to meet practical challenges that 21st century leaders confront - women, women of color, and also men. Our 2023 curriculum, which presented five monthly one-hour sessions, included: -"career navigation" session 1 -"elevating your Leadership attributes in 2023" session 2 -"eating for better mental health" session 3 -"employeepreneurship" session 4 -"your network = your net worth" session 5. The following survey responses are representative of the overwhelmingly positive comments our aspiring women iii sessions received: "the series is a great investment in women leaders" regarding session 1 "it was so true to everything i have been struggling with and finding a foot hole to get to my goals." Regarding session 1 "this has been one of the best Leadership development sessions that i've had the privilege to attend" regarding session 2 "this series has been fantastic." Regarding session 5 "keep the amazing webinars coming" regarding session 5
Other: aside from the wlc and aspiring women productions, fwle is in the process of formulating other types of Leadership programs through other media, such as production of virtual computer-based programs (of varying length) that examine different dimensions of Leadership competencies; present profiles of Leadership courage; and/or feature successful women role models from a cross-section of industries, government, nonprofits and academia.