Liz Shirey of the John Glenn School of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University shared her thoughts on the recent conclusion of this year’s NEW Leadership Ohio program:
It’s been almost five days and I’m still buzzing from the emotional high I get from participating in the NEW Leadership Ohio Program. It is by far my favorite time of the year, and this year’s class did not let me down. I was amazed at the diversity in the room. The 2010 class consisted of 29 women ages 19 through 40+, from 17 different colleges and universities and seven different countries, and majors ranging from biological sciences, international business and environmental pre-law to psychology, political science and organizational leadership.
Some of the highlights from the week include a $tart $mart salary negotiation workshop facilitated by the founder of WAGE (Women Are Getting Even), aimed at eliminating the gender wage gap for every woman in America; a very intimate and inspiring session with Supreme Court Justice Eve Stratton; a panel discussion about the ups and downs of campaigning and serving in office with Democratic and Republican women currently running for local and statewide elected office; and a speed networking event with women working in the public and non-profit sectors, co-sponsored by Ohio Women in Government. Speaking of “networking,” that seemed to be the unofficial theme of the week. We heard over and over again from our speakers, panelists and facilitators that professional success depends upon the strength of your network, and that it is especially important to build and nurture a network of positive, passionate and supportive women. One of our participants described it as a “Sister Circle.”
We were so honored this year to have Anne Kornblut, Washinton Post political correspondent and author of Notes from the Cracked Ceiling: Hillary Clinton, Sarah Palin and What it Will Take for a Woman to Win, as a guest on our panel for our keynote dinner. Joining her were Janet Carson, Geauga County Democratic Party Chairwoman, and Traci Saliba, former candidate for State Representative in the 2nd House district. It was an engaging and enlightening discussion about what is being done to identify and cultivate women to run for office and what it will take for a woman to be President in the near future.
The week came to a very emotional end on Friday. We started out with time for the women to reflect on their experiences. Many of them responded by saying that they had never been part of such a diverse, supportive, and close-knit group of women. Some shared personal stories of overcoming shyness while learning to network with women throughout the week; others talked about the ways in which they will take their newly formed leadership tools back home and use them to affect positive and lasting change in their community. We had more than half of the group announce that they were running for office and the other half volunteering to manage their campaigns. We also heard an impassioned plea from one woman for everyone to stop and think about giving a financial contribution to support NEW Leadership instead of buying that next cup of coffee from Starbucks or that pair of shoes they don’t need. As we walked to our closing luncheon featuring guest speaker TaKeysha Sheppard Cheney, founder and CEO of The Women’s Book, the women were exuding confidence and camaraderie, the likes of which I did not expect to see.
Words can’t describe our gratitude to the Women’s Fund for continuing to fund and believe in this program that literally changes lives. It changed mine, and one of the greatest gifts in my life is being able to share it with other women. Thank you WFCO for being part of the NEW Leadership Ohio Sister Circle!
Written by: Liz Shirey
