Dear IWF/MA Colleagues:

Viva Las Vegas!!

There’s no way that what happened in Vegas last week will stay in Vegas, and why??? Because it was just too much fun, and we can’t wait to share!! We had a record attendance from IWF/MA including:

Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, Fiona Calnan, Elizabeth Cook, Fay Donohue, Priscilla Douglas, Karina Funk, Rosalind Gorin, Judy Habib, Julie Hall, Rosabeth Moss Kanter, Sheryl Marshall, Joyce Murphy, Macaire Pace, Adrienne Penta, Colette Phillips, Andrea Rosen, Lesli Suggs, Alison Taunton-Rigby, Pallavi Verma.

We enjoyed three days of enlightening sessions on important topics (two led by our very own Rosabeth Moss Kantor and one by Priscilla Douglas), unique behind-the-scenes excursions, the always-favorite DineArounds, and entertaining evenings of food, music, and let-it-rip dancing!

You’ll hear more from the group on December 5th, but here a few photos to give you a flavor.

IWF Global Leadership Conference 2022

Speaking of December 5th…

Be on the lookout for our Annual Meeting and Holiday Reception invite. Thank you again to Jenny Holaday, CEO of Encore Boston Harbor, who is graciously hosting us in their beautiful Harbor Lounge. We’ll have lots to talk about, we’ll be welcoming some new members, and we’ll have a great time!!

Thanks to all for some wonderful recent events…

In addition to the IWF Global Leadership Conference in Vegas, IWF/MA had a busy couple of months. On the social front, we had a great turnout for a reception at Smith & Wollensky hosted by Dianne Hessan and Carol Fulp. Another group of members met at Il Caprioccio, hosted by Heidi Wyle, on October 6. And Fay Donahue hosted a luncheon at her home on October 12 for women going to Vegas.

Women Opening Doors for Women was virtual again this year and we had a great turnout of over 30 IWF/MA members and close to 100 mentees at the program. Keynote speaker Dr. Lynn Perry Wooten, IWF/MA board member, president of Simmons College, and co-author of Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership presented an inspiring talk to the group. Many thanks to our Program Committee leaders Susan Esper, Tara Levine and Lesli Suggs for their work.

On October 13th we celebrated Hispanic Heritage month with a panel discussion with Marcela Aldaz-Matos, Yvonne Garcia, Carmen Ortiz, and Vanessa Rosado-Calderon. Marcela led the lively discussion which focused on the Hispanic/Latino impact on our economy, community and political landscape.

We were “Up Close and Personal” with… Beth Chandler on September 22 and Cathy Minehan on October 24th. Our thanks to both for sharing themselves so generously. We are looking forward to hearing from Diane Hessan on November 21st and Ellen Zane on January 17^th. Join us!

Would You Like to Get More Involved?

In addition to our recently announced Ambassador Program (thanks to all who raised your hands in the survey), if you are interested in serving on a committee or on the board, now or in the future, let Kirsten know and she will alert our Governance Committee. For interest in this year’s Board slate, let her know by November 17th.  

Wishing you all a very happy Thanksgiving. I can't wait to see you on December 5th!

It’s always important to get messages out in the community and there is no place better than in the Boston Globe. We wanted to highlight a handful of recent pieces written by (or about) IWF/MA members.

Sandy Lish, principal and co-founder of The Castle Group, and Evelyn Murphy, the first woman to hold Constitutional office in Massachusetts, shared their reaction to “The Year of the Woman” label in this Boston Globe op-ed. Read about why “granting“ women a year is not only the wrong message, it’s just plain wrong. To read the Op-Ed, click HERE.

In an October Globe piece, columnist Shirley Leung focused on venture capital in a piece called, Write the damn check’: How female funders can help women entrepreneurs grow. The article points to the minority of women in venture capital positions despite that by the end of the decade, $30 trillion dollars are expected to be controlled by women. 

We also want to highlight a Globe Article written by Geri Denterlein’s husband, Jack Thomas, after he was diagnosed with cancer in 2021. As many of you know, Jack passed away in October and the Globe re-ran his touching and inspirational article. Click here to read it.

(If you don’t have a Globe subscription and can’t open any of these articles, please ask Kirsten to send to you.)