Program Overview
The Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) focuses on leadership training and network building to establish a culture of support for women’s leadership. Founded in 2015, the initiative uses a cohort model to build the capacity of employees for leadership, while also working to remove barriers and biases that hold women back in leadership. The 2023-2024 cohort will include up to nine mid-career University of Montana (UM) employees.
Purpose
• Establish a culture of support – across genders – for women’s advancement, retention, and recruitment.
• Enhance the capacity of faculty, administrators, and staff to develop skills and knowledge for positions of leadership.
• Foster a network to champion the importance of gender diversity in leadership.
• Create awareness about historical, cultural, and societal norms that impact women’s advancement.
• Build bridges for women leaders across organizations.
Women's Leadership Cohorts
Women's Leadership Initiative cohort members are selected for one academic year. Members participate in regular gatherings and leadership trainings; gain special access to campus, community, and state leaders; and lead community events to build awareness about issues that impact women’s advancement. Once selected, cohort members collaborate to identify the best meeting times and preferred activities for the academic year.
New cohorts of mid-career employees at UM are selected in alternating academic years. Those eligible to participate are:
- Mid-career faculty, administrators, and staff at the University of Montana. All genders are welcome to apply.
- Employees who have worked at UM for at least three years.
- Able to prioritize scheduled WLI events within existing work obligations. Cohort meetings, trainings, and activities will be scheduled to accommodate the needs of cohort members. The full schedule will be announced in late August 2023, after consulting with cohort members, so that participants can plan for the year. Once events are scheduled, cohort members are expected to prioritize attendance at WLI events. Special opportunities occasionally arise with little notice, but these events are not mandatory.
- Able to attend bi-weekly meetings, five half-day sessions (likely Fridays), two campus/community events, and two overnight sessions (dates TBD). WLI will provide all out-of-town lodging and meals. While overnight sessions are anticipated to support cohort cohesion, being unavailable does not automatically preclude participation.
- Committed both to developing one’s professional self and to dedicating time to improve conditions for women in leadership at the University of Montana and/or within the Missoula community.
The Women’s Leadership Initiative is committed to being accessible to all employees at the University of Montana campus. Accommodations will be made for cohort members with disabilities or who are nursing.
Cohort Contributions
A Cohort's Commitment to Change
The inaugural 2015-2016 WLI cohort chose to make seven commitments to themselves and the University of Montana to build on the momentum developed during their time in the Women's Leadership Initiative. They shared these commitments with the campus community on May 4, 2016. The community was encouraged to share their own commitments.
1. We commit to be advocates for underrepresented groups.
2. We commit to make UM a pay equity leader in the state and eliminate the gender pay gap.
3. We commit to help women at UM identify, quantify, and communicate their value.
4. We pledge to develop an acceleration pool that sponsors female employees for leadership positions.
5. We commit to help women faculty successfully achieve promotion and tenure.
6. We commit to learn more about our colleagues' goals, wins, and talents.
7. We commit to improve UM's recruitment practices to bring more women into faculty and leadership roles.
Stories of Workplace Equity
The 2019-2020 WLI cohort organized an event on February 20, 2020, for 165 community members at the UM campus. The event focused on building advocates for gender-based workplace equity. The event showcased personal stories about inequities women experience, including those that intersect with race, sexual orientation, gender identity, class, and age; a keynote address by Brenda Solorzano, Headwaters Foundation CEO; and breakout session to brainstorm how to create a more inclusive culture.
This event highlighted the ongoing need for campus conversations and initiatives around equity.
I found the storytelling by male advocates to be especially moving, and although I experienced frustration and, at times, deep sadness, at the event, I left feeling the utmost sense of catharsis and ultimately a profound sense of hope for the future.
Stories of WE student participant
Unmasking Challenges to Create a Resilient Future: Exploring Gender and Equity in a Pandemic
The University of Montana and Clearwater Credit Union’s Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI) 2020-21 cohort invited the community to engage in reflective dialogue and pioneering discourse focused on how the pandemic has impacted gender and equity. The community event included keynote speeches, panel discussions, and futuring sessions to unpack the local challenges we faced in healthcare, education, finance, and more, and culminated with a brainstorming of recommendations to share with area leaders. This event served as an opportunity to bring members of the community together to learn from 2020 and build a more resilient community in 2021 and beyond.
The event took place on March 8th and March 9th through Zoom. The public was invited to the following keynote presentations and sessions:
Jack Lawson and Megan Kraft from Clearwater Credit Union to share their insight on COVID's impact on our community. These leaders discussed the financial, social, and organizational impacts they've observed in their own values-based institution as well as in our community.
Missoula community members reflected on personal and professional experiences and expertise to identify signals of the future. This collaborative exercise explored and highlighted forecasts for the future which are imperative to building communities, organizations, and systems that support women and promote equity in the wake of a pandemic.
Erin Erickson from Missoula Rises and Andrea Davis from Homeword shared their observations of resilience, creativity, and adaptability in the past year. In addition to personal and organizational reflections, these leaders discussed strategies and actions that leaders can employ to promote equity and ensure our community is supportive and sustainable in 2021 and beyond.
Stories of Impact
For me, the largest benefit of WLI was creating a group of community-minded women where we were encouraged to focus on our own goals and purpose. It was a great process for me to learn how to balance being a service-oriented leader while also harnessing the power of my personal vision and purpose. Since WLI, I finished my term as Department Chair and have written a book.
Kirsten Murray, Associate Professor, Department of Counselor Education, 2015-2016 WLI Fellow
WLI let me represent myself to UM, to show that there are Native women staff members at UM who do the work and make a positive impact for not only Native students but all students. WLI gave me the foundation to stand up and voice for diversity initiatives at UM, to make people accountable to me as a staff member of color.
Wilena Old Person (Yakama/Amaskapi Pikuni), Program Coordinator, Health Careers Opportunity Program-College of Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences, 2015-2016 WLI Fellow
Cohort Members Reflect on Their WLI Experiences
Value
This was one of the most profound experiences in my professional career thus far and I'm committed to be worth the investment!
I find it really moving to have our institutions investing so much energy and time in us. This is really one of the greatest honors of my time at UM to get to be a part of this group. That alone is making me feel better equipped to take on more responsibilities and lead thoughtfully and effectively. The power of the cohort to support and advocate for each other should not be understated, too. I think it is really awesome!
The Power of the Cohort
Through WLI, I have a cohort of women who I can rely on to push me, encourage me, challenge me, and support me through any struggle -- personal or professional.
Leadership Training and Coaching
I have a better grasp on my unique skills and attributes that make me an asset to a team and a good leader.
Professional Connections
The WLI exposed us to leaders from all walks of life and all types of organizations. It was so valuable to have cohort members from two organizations, giving us deeper insight into successes and challenges in different sectors.
Dedication to UM
WLI left me more invested in UM and improving it for the future.
WLI empowered and inspired me to step into my role as a leader and contribute to my institution through engaged, thoughtful, and collaborative leadership.
Networks of Opportunity
Join the Initiative as we build a culture of support for women in leadership. Please contact Program Coordinator Charity Atteberry at charity.atteberry@mso.umt.edu to make suggestions or discuss how you can contribute.
Collaborators
The President's Office of the University of Montana
The mission of the President's Office is to support the President's initiatives and to assist the University in fulfilling its overall mission. The staff strives to maintain open lines of communication by responding to the inquiries and concerns of students, employees, and members of the public. The Women's Leadership Initiative is an important part of the President's mission to diversify the University.
Clearwater Credit Union
Clearwater Credit Union is committed to supporting positive change in the Missoula community. The mission of Clearwater is “to be a force for good in banking, in the communities we serve, and in the lives of our members.” Clearwater is rooted in cooperative ownership; empowers its team members and members to solve problems and create opportunity; welcomes diversity and recognizes it as critical to performance; and believes in being a catalyst for social, economic, and environmental change.
The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center
The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Center at the University of Montana has a dual mission of promoting ethical public policy and leadership and U.S.-Asia relations with Asia. Programs are developed in the spirit of Senator Mike Mansfield (1903-2001) and his wife and life partner Maureen Hayes Mansfield. The Center houses programs that emphasize leadership and integrity, the core hallmarks of Senator Mansfield's career. Mansfield Center programs have included the Women's Empowerment Fellowship, the American Youth Leadership Program, and the Public Policy and Leadership Program.