Establishment of Women's Leadership Collaborative is Announced at Conference
JONESBORO – To elevate mentoring opportunities and to establish Arkansas State University as an institution for women in leadership roles, Chancellor Todd Shields announced the establishment of the Women’s Leadership Collaborative at this year’s Women’s Leadership Conference.
The Collaborative will take the founding efforts of the Griffin College of Business’s Women’s Leadership Center and serve as a clearinghouse for enhanced efforts across the campus.
“From the outstanding work of campus mentors like Dr. Patricia Johnston and our former business dean Dr. Kathy Loyd, we know there is a growing demand for opportunities for growth and networking for women in leadership in every area of our campus,” Shields said. “I’ve been fortunate to learn profound lessons from time on the Governor’s Commission on Women, and working to create initiatives to support leadership forums. I am so proud to say that A-State will strive to be a place where a Women’s Leadership Collaborative is not only welcomed, but championed.”
“It is my vision as well as other women involved with our WLC that we create a future filled with collaborative caring communities of women in Arkansas who work tirelessly to ensure that all girls and women are supported to achieve their potential and goals,” Loyd said. “By embracing collaborative in our name, we are recognizing the inherited knowledge of the past and connecting it to the present and future. I can’t think of a better way to express what our Step Up and Reach Back ethos means for our group.”
The grounding philosophy of the Collaborative will be the same as the original WBLC to “Step Up and Reach Back,” which Loyd and other key women in the A-State community established.
Working with the existing Women’s Business Leadership Center within Griffin College and other on-campus groups like Women in Science, Women in Engineering and the soon to be launched Arkansas Delta Women’s Academy, the Collaborative serves as the hub of activity and coordinator of events across the campus to expand the “Step Up and Reach Back” into other groups.
“We want colleges or disciplines to establish their own mentoring groups that can work with the Collaborative,” Shields said. “The Collaborative will also start outreach programs such as summer camps, retreats and networking events.”
The first new program designed to uplift the profile of women in leadership and to reach new audiences was also announced at the 2023 conference.
Recognizing Remarkable Women is an awards program that begins this year for individuals who live and work in the greater Delta region of Arkansas. The program launched this month to solicit nominees for these inaugural Remarkable Women:
Leaders in Service – Persons who champion their community through perseverance, confidence, integrity, generosity, innovation and vision. Those nominated for this honor may be an officer in a company, an established small business entrepreneur or a leader in a non-profit organization.
Women to Watch – With up to three individuals selected, nominees for this category are achieving great things in their community, business, government or the non-profit volunteer community.
Mentor of the Year – The only award restricted to current members of the WLC Founder’s Circle, Collaborative Champion or Junior Champion. The Mentor of the Year exhibits the nurturing spirit of the Step Up, Reach Back program within the Collaborative.
To learn more about the WLC’s Recognizing Remarkable Women program, go to AState.edu/WLC to download the application. Nominations are due by Sept. 1, 2023. The inaugural Recognizing Remarkable Women banquet will be Nov. 2, 2023, at the Cooper Alumni Center at Arkansas State.
One of the speakers at the Women's Leadership Conference today was Faye Cocchiara, clinical associate professor of management at the University of Texas at Arlington.
