To enable women to fulfill their maximum potential in the board room,the c-suite, as entrepreneurs, and as leading edge professionals intheir chosen profession.

Education , Educational Services

In january of 2017, wia held the 4th ment-mix for the class of 2016. Hosted by bloomberg the ment mix focused on the importance of improv in the workplace. Guest speaker julie griffin led both mentees and mentors through a series of improv exercises designed to help us better communicate and think on our feet! Through interactive role-playing, julie taught us how to adjust quickly and effectively to changing situations, how to listen, contribute and be present. Her "yes. . . And" mantra illustrated how we can confidently keep workplace conversations moving in a positive direction. Continues on schedule "o"in april of 2017, wia held a special mentor/guest event at the curator gallery in chelsea owned by ann moore, retired chairman and ceo of time incorporated. Both ann and the exhibition's curator, bill shapiro, described the work of renowned photographer todd webb, who is best known for his iconic nyc photos. In may we held our 5th ment-mix at hbo with a private screening of the film "equity", a financial drama that highlights the female perspective and experience on wall street. Mentors barbara byrne and anne erni were both involved in the financing and production. After the screening, anne led a brilliant panel that included one of the film's stars, sarah megan thomas, producer candy straight and mentor irene chang britt. Each talked about their experiences as women in the workplace and why negotiation was a critical tool in their ascensions, particularly in male-dominated industries. Also in may the wia board met to discuss past and present events and evaluate the program's offerings. It was decided to add one more event for the class of 2016 in june called, "lets talk". The board was also updated on pwc's pro-bono project on wia's effectiveness over the last 9 years and the recommendations that were made by pwc on ways to take the program to the next level and to more actively engage our member base. In june, we held a "bonus" ment-mix at warburg pincus titled, "let's talk! ". Led by mentor donna orender, mentees were encouraged to ask any question on their minds of the mentors that were present. These ranged from the professional to the personal and generated truly authentic remarks and advice from the mentors. The event also marked the "graduation" of the class of 2016. In september the alumnae association held a pop-up with distinguished journalist and mentor carol hymowitz who talked about the key elements of "telling your story". Mentor lisa tepper hosted at her aj gallagher offices. Also in september new alumnae were voted onto the alumnae assoc. Leadership council. Currently headed by 2012 mentee ita ekpoudom (president), 2014 mentee angelique jurgill (vice president, operations) & 2014 mentee erika zauner (vice president, engagement) - the entire alumnae base selected 2014 mentee naomi goldstein and 2016 mentees molly vannucci and alexandra bonetti to join the council. These women will help develop unique programming and networking activities for the members of the alumnae association. In october wia mentors gathered at the yale club in nyc for a casual evening of networking and catching up. Chairwoman lorraine hack updated the group on changes to wia, including greater transparency and a new structure with a return to clusters - all aimed at fine tuning and improving our program. Also in october, wia launched a brand new website with upgraded features that include online registration for events, a job board, detailed member lists, news postings and much more. In november, approximately 100 applicants for the class of 2018 were screened by a committee of mentors comprised of irene britt, susan stevens, donna orender, joan amble and carol hochman. The committee reviewed resumes, applications and references and then provided their recommendations to another committee of mentors who performed in-person interviews over multiple days. The interviewing mentors, who spent subsequent hours discussing and debatin