Three wonder women present at annual symposium
Conversations were ebbing and flowing, excitement was in the air, chairs were filled and people were being turned away because capacity was reached so quickly; the room for this session at the Women and Leadership Symposium was full of anticipation and an innate sense of comradery and connection. The presentation, “Wonder Women: There is more than one,” presented by three women in DEM leadership, was about to begin and a few DEM colleagues were able to sneak into the crowded room just in time to hear a strong whistle from Beth Warner bring the room together and start the session.
The presentation was described in the program as “a session that will showcase some of the best tips and practices for being a supportive women leader and co-worker.” A goal of the presentation was to share from experience how to uplift others, create a community among peers and provide proof that work is more fun when you work with people who support you. All in attendance would agree this goal was accomplished.
Kate Kurek was in attendance and shared, “Beth, Bobbie Jean, and Sarah were the presentation dream team! The workshop was the perfect balance of listening, group discussion, and sharing with the large group, and the variety of “quiz” questions, statistics, and research studies combined with personal experiences kept us engaged and wanting more. We easily could have stayed for another hour talking about the same topics!”
Associate University Registrar for Student Services Beth Warner, Interim Director for Student Enterprise Applications Sarah Stilp, and System Liaison and Senior Admissions Consultant Bobbie Jean Huerth started their presentation by sharing a leadership lesson each of them had learned. Right away the audience was engaged, clapping after each shared their lesson and nodding and making comments of agreement.
The presentation went on to further engage the audience by having attendees participate in a Menti quiz to establish why this session was so important. Giggles, oohs, and ahs resonated through the room as realizations were made and feelings were validated with data. For example, 45% of men believe that if 1 in 10 leaders is a woman, then women are relatively well represented (Sneader &Yee, McKinsey & Company, 2019). Throughout the entire presentation research was used to support and explain the presentation. There was also a video that helped provide some specific steps that attendees can take to help improve, empower and build awareness to help disrupt biases.
During the session, when providing examples, Beth Warner was quoted as saying “ we have been coaching ourselves out of being authentically who we are” and went on to explain how this is not only a disservice to ourselves, but also others around us. Those in attendance had quite a few takeaways and left rave reviews.
“This was my favorite session of the conference. It was a great mix of research and data combined with personal anecdotes and great energy. For me, this session reinforced the importance of and profound impact a mentor can have. It also made me realize that I am and have been very fortunate to have strong women mentors and colleagues during my career and I hope I can provide the same for the next generation of women leaders,” said Katie Block.
The session ended with some hopes for the future. Beth, Sarah and Bobbie Jean shared that they hope sessions like theirs and events like the symposium continue. They also hope that there is an increased awareness, acknowledgement, training and allyship for disrupting bias and empowering women in the workplace from everyone, no matter how they identify.
The presentation was described in the program as “a session that will showcase some of the best tips and practices for being a supportive women leader and co-worker.” A goal of the presentation was to share from experience how to uplift others, create a community among peers and provide proof that work is more fun when you work with people who support you. All in attendance would agree this goal was accomplished.
Kate Kurek was in attendance and shared, “Beth, Bobbie Jean, and Sarah were the presentation dream team! The workshop was the perfect balance of listening, group discussion, and sharing with the large group, and the variety of “quiz” questions, statistics, and research studies combined with personal experiences kept us engaged and wanting more. We easily could have stayed for another hour talking about the same topics!”
Associate University Registrar for Student Services Beth Warner, Interim Director for Student Enterprise Applications Sarah Stilp, and System Liaison and Senior Admissions Consultant Bobbie Jean Huerth started their presentation by sharing a leadership lesson each of them had learned. Right away the audience was engaged, clapping after each shared their lesson and nodding and making comments of agreement.
The presentation went on to further engage the audience by having attendees participate in a Menti quiz to establish why this session was so important. Giggles, oohs, and ahs resonated through the room as realizations were made and feelings were validated with data. For example, 45% of men believe that if 1 in 10 leaders is a woman, then women are relatively well represented (Sneader &Yee, McKinsey & Company, 2019). Throughout the entire presentation research was used to support and explain the presentation. There was also a video that helped provide some specific steps that attendees can take to help improve, empower and build awareness to help disrupt biases.
During the session, when providing examples, Beth Warner was quoted as saying “ we have been coaching ourselves out of being authentically who we are” and went on to explain how this is not only a disservice to ourselves, but also others around us. Those in attendance had quite a few takeaways and left rave reviews.
“This was my favorite session of the conference. It was a great mix of research and data combined with personal anecdotes and great energy. For me, this session reinforced the importance of and profound impact a mentor can have. It also made me realize that I am and have been very fortunate to have strong women mentors and colleagues during my career and I hope I can provide the same for the next generation of women leaders,” said Katie Block.
The session ended with some hopes for the future. Beth, Sarah and Bobbie Jean shared that they hope sessions like theirs and events like the symposium continue. They also hope that there is an increased awareness, acknowledgement, training and allyship for disrupting bias and empowering women in the workplace from everyone, no matter how they identify.