Hi Everyone – and Happy Spring! With the pandemic seemingly in retreat, and more and more getting back to ‘normal’ here in the US, it feels like optimism is in the air– at last!

And there is a lot to feel optimistic about. We recently congratulated newly appointed Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson – the first black female justice to be appointed in that organization’s 233 year history. More good news comes from a report recently released by the Women’s Business Collaborative and 50/50 Women on Boards, that shows 2021 as a watershed year for women appointed to Board seats in the US. 27% of the Board seats in the Russell 3000’s largest publicly held companies in the US are now filled by women – up from 24% in 2020. This is particularly good news given fears that women would lose ground on this front given two years of Covid-19.  Check out their findings here.

And of course, here at Leadership Women we are optimistic too. With the support of you – our graduates and members – our Corporate Sponsors and of course our Board of Directors, we have survived the last two years without in-person programming, and are now fully operational again! We have already held our first live sessions of Leadership Texas and Leadership America (in Houston and Atlanta respectively) which went brilliantly well if we say so ourselves – and are now looking forward to virtual follow ups to both programs prior to the next program sessions scheduled for Amarillo and Los Angeles. In between those dates we are looking forward to the inaugural class of ‘Leadership Encore’ – our brand new LW program – meeting in Santa Fe. With privately curated sessions, a specialty cooking class, sunset train ride and much more – this get away is going to be a wonderful mix of relaxation, learning and socializing. There are a few spots left for the upcoming June 26 – 29 dates -so if you would like to join us, REGISTER HERE.  A program flyer is also available by clicking Encore 2022 Flyer.

We also welcomed three new Board members for 2022 – say hello to Mary Beth Harrington, Yesenia A. Moore and Deana Sanders- all graduates just beginning their terms. Read about the backgrounds of these impressive graduates HERE. And if YOU are an LW graduate, with particular expertise that you would like to share with us as a Board member in the future – please contact Linda Crompton.

And looking ahead on the calendar is our popular annual PIPELINE program for new or up-and-coming leaders, offered virtually on Wednesday, August 24th from 9:00 – 5:00 p.m. CT – REGISTER HERE – and look for details soon on our 40th Leadership Texas anniversary event coming up later this year.

All of us here at LW are indeed feeling very positive for the future – but we cannot end this newsletter without mention of the anguish and suffering of the women and children in the Ukraine as we write. We know you join with us in your thoughts and prayers, and if you wish to offer support you could do so by contacting one of the following organizations who are specifically helping women and child victims of the war:

Thank you all.