WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT
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Women in Leadership Development (WLD) Initiative Celebrating 5 Years!
A Reflection from WLD’s Leader: Dr. Sherylle Tan
What was your main vision for WLD 5 years ago? The Women in Leadership Development (WLD) Initiative came out of student feedback for interest in leadership development concentrating on topics that women face as they navigate leadership. Tom Handley ‘77 was had long been interested in supporting initiatives to develop emerging women leaders on campus. With the support from Tom and Susan Handley and Cascade Asset Management, the Women in Leadership Development (WLD) Initiative was created. I was interested in seeing a leadership development opportunity that went beyond a one-time activity or event, but something that could be more impactful and create community. In order to do that we needed this to focus on a commitment to develop and to span the academic year. WLD was designed to provide undergraduate women with a space to support the unique developmental needs of emerging women leaders. In this way we could deliver a rigorous leadership development initiative that focuses on essential topics that women face as they become leaders organized around three leadership pathways: leadership training, leadership coaching, and leadership support. How has WLD grown and expanded within these 5 years? We have grown the WLD initiative over the last 5 years, not just by increasing the cohort to accommodate about 20% more students in the last 2 years, but by also growing an alumni base that has thought deeply about these issues. Handley Leadership Fellows who completed WLD didn’t want to stop after their initial year, and we created opportunities for Fellows to become mentors. The WLD mentors added another support mechanism for the Handley Leadership Fellows. Where do you see WLD heading in the next 5 years? I hope to see WLD continue and to use this model of leadership development that takes into account various leadership pathways as a foundation to other leadership development initiatives and perhaps other cohorts. I hope to see this community of Handley Leadership Fellows to take lead and expand their leadership in multiple areas on campus and to take what they learn and share that with others to help work toward leadership equity and growth.
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