UW-Green Bay Launches Institute for Women’s Leadership

Virtual Kickoff Event in Celebration of International Women’s Day is March 5th

Recognizing the region’s growing need for a pipeline of women leaders and the distinct challenges faced by professional women in the workplace, UW-Green Bay is establishing the Institute for Women’s Leadership www.uwgb.edu/womens-leadership. The Institute will serve as a comprehensive leadership resource for women in Northeast Wisconsin and will strive to eliminate barriers that narrow opportunities at all stages in their professional careers, from rising women of promise to woman executives.

“One of the most powerful actions we can take as a University is to create a culture of ‘conscious inclusion,’ ensuring the region has a pipeline of women leaders,” UW-Green Bay Chief Business Officer and Senior Vice Chancellor for Institutional Strategy Sheryl Van Gruensven said. “Beyond policies and hiring practices, the Institute will give rise to an environment that embraces diverse perspectives with the conscious intent of including everyone, particularly women.”

oy Ruzek, Vice-Chancellor of the Division of Continuing Education and Community Engagement and co-founder of the Institute with Van Gruensven, added, “Women lag substantially behind men when it comes to their representation in leadership positions, showing there clearly is a broken rung on the career ladder for women. Our goal is to build an ongoing culture where everyone brings their whole self to work each day and feels valued, heard and able to make an impact while progressing in their careers. By giving access to more representative voices, our society and economy will only get stronger.”

The Institute will put forward wide-ranging programs, events, and research, benefiting women with access to experts and supportive networks. Leadership certificate programs, a monthly speaker’s series featuring notable women throughout the area sharing their stories to leadership, monthly networking events, a women’s mentorship program, an annual leadership retreat, workshops and discussion groups will be offered to support women’s professional development needs.

Equally important, the Institute will work to increase communities’ knowledge and awareness of issues related to women in leadership and advance new knowledge about women and leadership in the State of Wisconsin through benchmarking data on women in business and research about women and leadership.

The Institute will host a kickoff event on Friday, March 5, 2021 in celebration of International Women’s Day with a formal announcement and a virtual keynote speaker, addressing the campaign theme “Choose to Challenge.” The kickoff will start at 9 a.m. and continue until 10:30 a.m. Details will be shared on the website www.uwgb.edu/womens-leadership.