Dear Members,
Just one month into 2020 and we are full steam ahead. January marked many firsts for the Massachusetts Women's Forum. We published our first Annual Report that highlighted what made 2019 a truly productive year, we held our first Board Member Reception where we welcomed our new Board members, we introduced a new event that had a group of members out on the town, and we have received our first ever grant that will allow us to step into advocacy which is something our members have been urging us to do.
I hope that you will read through this letter with an eye towards engagement. Whether it is an event, acting as a mentor, reaching out to a member you don't already know, getting involved with our gender equity initiative, or attending an IWF conference. The Massachusetts Women's Forum is your forum. Make it your own in a way that is meaningful to you.
I look forward to seeing you soon.
Warmly,
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Jackie Jenkins-Scott
President, MWF
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THE WAGE GAP PROJECT
We advocate for women’s leadership and provide an important voice on issues affecting women in the Commonwealth, and the world.
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Defining the role that MWF will play in the movement
to eliminate the Wage Gap
In July 2019, the leadership of the Massachusetts Women’s Forum reached out to a handful of MWF members who are also members of The Commonwealth Institute and the Boston Club. The initial purpose of the meeting was to better understand the differences in the groups and to discuss ways to better collaborate. What resulted was an impassioned and inspired conversation about solving the intractable issue of gender equity.
Since that meeting quite a bit has transpired.
- With the help of Fay Donohue, we developed an outline of The Wage Gap Project, our initiative to eliminate the gender wage gap in Massachusetts by 2030.
- We presented this overview to The Boston Foundation who has provided seed money for an initial feasibility study.
- We brought on Megan Costello as a consultant to complete the feasibility study. Megan is known to many of our members from both her political experience as well as her former position as the Executive Director of the Mayor's office of Women's Advancement. Megan just completed her Masters of Public Administration at the Harvard Kennedy School and is ready to jump on board.
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The Women’s Forum is excited to partner with
Megan Costello, an experienced public and political manager and strategist, who will lead a feasibility study aimed at eliminating the wage gap by 2030. After graduating this past year with her MPA from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, Megan is eager to return to the work of eliminating the women’s wage gap in Massachusetts. Megan’s career has focused on advancing women’s rights, most recently as the Executive Director for the Mayor’s Office of Women’s Advancement, an office she started under the leadership of Mayor Martin J. Walsh. Megan also worked on the campaigns of Martin Walsh, Ed Markey, President Barack Obama, and Secretary Hillary Clinton. She is a former board member of the Massachusetts chapter of NARAL Pro-Choice America’s Political Action Committee and a former board member of the External Advisory Board of the Center for Women in Politics and Public Policy at UMass Boston.
Megan is familiar with much of the exciting work happening for women, especially the work helping to close the women’s wage and power gap. She is looking to build on the great work being done rather than reinvent the wheel. She will be reaching out to many of you in the coming months, but if you have ideas please feel free to reach out to her.
We sat down with Megan, to hear more about her goals for the project.
Read more
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JOIN US FOR AN UPCOMING EVENT
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The 2020 calendar is full of opportunities to build relationships and foster connection within our community. Through events of different size, content, and purpose, we have developed many opportunities for engagement. The events span the range of purely social to informational. allowing for meaningful conversations to making an impact on the next generation of leaders. We hope that there is something the resonates with you.
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IN TRANSITION:
A BREAKFAST SERIES
FEBRUARY 27th
***
Are you in or considering a transition? So much in life can deposit us at these moments: a new d role, the sale of a company, a new Board seat, an unexpected illness, a divorce, a remarriage and so much more. Our first session was highly lauded by the attendees. Join us for one or more of these upcoming facilitated conversations.
“What a wonderful instructive and provocative session; I walked away feeling I had participated in a session of real value — looking forward to the next.”
- Catlin Donnelly (attendee at pilot breakfast on 11/12/2019)
Registration is $50 per breakfast $125 for the full breakfast series.
Space is limited so
register today
. Location details to be provided closer to the date.
Series will meet on February 27th, May 28th, and October 22nd
.
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THIRD CHAPTER LUNCHEONS
MARCH 17th
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How do we navigate the inevitable changes in our relationships over time?
Members Only Third Chapter Conversations are intimate discussions about our choices as we move through our own high-powered career. These lunches are an opportunity to explore dreams, possibilities, and challenges for the Third Chapter of our lives.
In this small group setting, we share and learn from each other over a wide variety of topics based on the group’s interest. Reservation will open closer to the dates.
Seating is limited to fourteen.
Lunch is Dutch treat.
Upcoming Dates:
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EXECUTIVE BRIEFING:
HEALTHCARE: TACKLING THE MOST VEXING ISSUES
MARCH 18th
Erin McSweeney, CHRO Optum
will moderate a discussion with panelists
Sandra Fenwick
CEO of Boston Children’s Hospital
Megan Greenfield
Partner at McKinsey
Cindy Perettie
CEO of Foundation Medicine.
on
March 18, 2020
Optum Labs
8:00 -9:30 AM
This event is free for members. Fellow members Erin McSweeney & Rebecca Schecter invite you to join as their guest.
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SPRING
DINE-A-ROUNDS
APRIL 2, 2020
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WOMEN OPENING DOORS
FOR WOMEN
MAY 5, 2020
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SUMMER RECEPTION
HOME OF LINDA HENRY
JUNE 2, 2020
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OUR MEMBERS INVITE YOU TO JOIN THEM
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Did you want to see Gloria: A Life but could not join on the 13th? We are now offering a second opportunity to attend on the 19th of February. If you are interested reach out to the MWF office
via e-mail
.
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February 13th at A.R.T
with Priscilla Douglas
Have you already purchased a ticket to attend Gloria: A Life on Feburary 13th with the group being facilitated by Priscilla Douglas, you are invited to a pre-theatre cocktail reception at the home of Board member, Rosalind Gorin. The reception will begin at 5:45 pm. Watch your inbox for an address and parking instructions.
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February 19th at A.R.T.
with Paula Johnson
We are thrilled to let you know that fellow member Paula Johnson invites you to join her at Gloria: A Life on Wednesday, February 19th.
If you would like to attend, please let Deborah know. You may email her
here
.
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Would you like to see the Jacob Lawrence exhibit at the P.E.M.?
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Member Renee Connelly, Head of Communications and Corporate Responsibility for MilliporeSigma invites members to join her in viewing the
Jacob Lawrence
exhibit at the Peabody Essex Museum?
Please
email
the MWF office if you would like to attend. We are still choosing a date and we would love your input.
Peabody Essex Museum
Showing through April 2, 2020.
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Ascending Davos Book Launch featuring Meghan Fitzgerald
The Boston's Forum for Gender Partnership in Biopharma
Member Aida Sabo, Vice President of Diversity/Inclusion for PAREXEL would love for our member to join her as her guest at a special discussion with Meghan Fitzgerald, Parexel board observer and advisor, investor, and professor, on her new book,
Ascending Davos: A Career Journey from the Emergency Room to the Boardroom,
on Feb 18 from 5-7:30 pm, at our new conference center in Newton. You may
RSVP here
and read about the event
here
.
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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FORUM
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2020 IWF Cornerstone Conference: London, United Kingdom: May 13-15, 2020
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Wow! The London conference sold out in record time. While we are thrilled that ten of our members will be attending yet we are disappointed that another seven are on the wait list.
IWF is encouraging members to keep up with conference through live streaming and social media. Participate on social media by following the #IWFLeadsChange tag on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
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The IWF Fellows Program
We are pleased to share that Frances West is serving as a mentor in the IWF
Fellows Program
. Board member and programming chair Frances West will be mentoring Vanessa E. Wyche who is the deputy director of NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
Lastly, I wanted to share that application for the
2020-2021 IWF Fellows Program
is open. IWF is looking for help identifying women candidates for the upcoming 2020-2021 class to ensure that they reach more women in more places with this opportunity.
If you believe IWF should be targeting an organization in our community or you know a woman leader that needs to be a Fellow, please reach out to fellow member,
Alison Taunton-Rigby
who sits on the Leadership Foundation Board of Directors.
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For women leaders who are recognized as top achievers in their fields, the
Massachusetts Women’s Forum
(MWF) provides unparalleled access to a group of influential women who inspire and support each other to optimize each member’s impact in the world. We advocate for women’s leadership and provide an important voice on issues affecting women in the Commonwealth, and the world.
Membership is by invitation only.
MWF is an affiliate of the International Women’s Forum (IWF) that offers access to women leaders worldwide.
We are a non-partisan organization of trailblazers, thought leaders, and change agents who believe that leadership has no gender and diversity is our strength.
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Are you connected to us through LinkedIn?
If you have not joined the Massachusetts Women's Forum private group, please let us know and we will make sure you are connected. This is a place where we can reach out to each other in a private group setting. I hope that you will participate.
Check out the LinkedIn group
here.
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Join us in thanking our generous 2020 sponsors!
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