Celebrating International Women’s Day: Giving Thanks for our Female Leadership
As many individuals and organizations around the world continue to celebrate Intentional Women’s Day, I’m personally reminded of how our clients and colleagues inspire change for women around the world. At Informing Change we work with our partners in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors to address issues of access in education, health, leadership, and beyond, including many organizations that specifically focus on equity and inclusion for women and girls. In addition to being inspired by our clients, I am also incredibly thankful to work at a woman owned and operated company. This year I have decided to honor two of the themes for 2014 International Women’s Day—inspiring change for growth of women owned businesses and inspiring change for more women in senior leadership roles—by giving thanks for my influential female colleagues.
I am proud and fortunate to say that in a world still dominated by male leadership, not only is Informing Change female owned, all of our senior level staff are women. The women I work with are incredible strategists, innovators, and leaders, who model our values of integrity, intelligence, and compassion in all aspects of their lives. These women volunteer their time, give back to their communities, and continually expand their worldviews by learning and sharing with others.
Our team of female leaders help organizations improve their effectiveness and cultivate a culture of learning by creating innovative strategies that foster collaboration and accessibility. Our Principal, Ellen Irie, fosters female leadership by nurturing a transparent, supportive environment where each staff member’s contribution is equally valued. Ellen personifies this with her open door policy, requests for feedback from staff at all levels and her dedication to build a company committed to doing good work.
While I work with many incredible men too, on this International Women’s Day I am especially thankful for the women of Informing Change and the impact they have had on my professional growth and ability to develop creative strategies to solve injustices and inequities that face our society.
For more information on International Women’s Day or to find out how you can celebrate the accomplishments of women around the world visit www.internationalwomensday.com.