The Harry & Rose Samson Family Jewish Community Center (JCC) announced the launch of a pilot program on January 17. Women inPower will be uniquely focused on providing mentorship and professional development opportunities to high-potential women with a goal of advancing them to the highest levels of leadership.
The pilot program is supported by the JCCs of North America, modeled after a successful launch through the 92Y Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact. The twelve-month fellowship will begin in March and feature a mix of formal and informal engagements; focused on skill building, peer-to-peer mentoring, network building, and ongoing development with executive leaders throughout the community.
“For all the progress being made to ensure that executive leadership opportunities are diverse and inclusive, it’s clear that more can be done – and that we have a unique opportunity to lead that advancement,” said Sarah Siegel, Chief Program Officer for the JCC and leader of the program. “Milwaukee has a wealth of talented, passionate, and creative female leaders. It’s time we provide this emerging class of leaders with the resources and relationships so that C-suites throughout our community reflect that.”
Applications for Women inPower are open until February 3 to emerging female professionals who are Jewish – or work professionally in a Jewish field – live in the greater Milwaukee area, have fifteen or more years of professional work experience, and are seeking career advancement in the next five years.
“We’re working to connect creative, ambitious, and community-minded leaders from all sectors and provide them with meaningful experiences to best prepare them for their next leadership role,” added Siegel. “Like everything we do at the JCC, it will be built on partnership, inclusion, and an absolute commitment to equity and justice.”
Joining the JCC in this effort are Women inPower Steering Committee Members Andrea Schneider (Marquette University), Linda Gorens-Levey (Generation Growth Capital), Betsy Brenner (retired, Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel), Miryam Rosenzweig (Milwaukee Jewish Federation), and Patti Gorsky (Make A Wish Foundation), who will work with Siegel to identify mentors, build programming, and develop the inaugural cohort of the Women inPower fellowship.
“It’s clear there’s an enormous appetite for this type of effort, all the more so demonstrated by the quality of executive female leaders who are investing their time and talent into the launch of Women inPower,” Siegel said. “I can’t wait to see what we accomplish in 2020 with this Steering Committee at the helm.”
