W2W Leadership Initiative’s April Updates

While the coronavirus has impacted the ability of the WILMA’s Leadership Initiative programs to meet in person, we – like a lot of groups in the area – are turning to technology to keep connecting and learning during this time. Here are some examples.

Leadership Institute: Members of the 2020 WILMA’s Leadership Institute (shown above at nCino in February hearing from Lisa Leath, Ruth Ravitz Smith, and Julie Wilsey) met through remote conferencing for their March session. Stefanie Adams, founder and chief empowerment officer of WNY People Development, discussed leadership in times of change, and the Institute’s peer mentoring boards also shared resources with each other through web conferencing.

Board Training: A Get on Board training session with UNCW’s Quality Enhancement for Nonprofit Organizations (QENO) also was scheduled to take place in April but had to be canceled. We’ll be looking for opportunities to hold a future training session virtually as well as provide resources for nonprofits and board members. Get on Board’s goal is to get more women placed on area boards of directors. Those who go through the training are able to post on our board-connecting website at WILMAsGetOnBoard.com. Area organizations also can post their board and committee info on the website.

Mentoring: Participants in the 2020-21 mentorship program began their year in March, checking in monthly about the mentee’s leadership goals. The program pairs about thirty mentees with leaders in the community to work together for the year.

In the Loop: Keep up to date with these and other Leadership Initiative programs as well as applications announcements at WILMAmag.com or signing up for the WILMA Leadership email at WILMAmag.com/email-newsletter.

– Vicky Janowski, WILMA editor, and Maggi Apel, events director, Co-directors of the Women to Watch Leadership Initiative W2W@WILMAmag.com