Fellows Program
Each year, IWF invests in making women stronger, smarter and more influential through its Fellows Program, a year-long, intensive leadership development experience. The Fellows Program was launched in 1994 with seed-funding from the U.S. Labor Department as a direct result of the Glass Ceiling Commission and annually convenes approximately 35 Fellows from around the world for a total of 20 days. Featuring academic partnerships with Harvard Business School and INSEAD, the program offers customized leadership training for high-achieving women leaders on their path to the C-suite. The approach is holistic and focused on the participant’s personal and professional development, career path, and trajectory, while embracing the value of an outside perspective.
Donations
For corporate outreach – All donations will be gratefully acknowledged and recognized. For more details, please contact caralyn@iwfbc.com.
For IWF members- IWF BC will match up to $15,000 for all donations made by members. To donate, please contact accounting@iwfbc.com
Friba’s Journey
IWF BC Fellows Program Update – Detroit Leadership Conference
We want to ensure you stay informed about Friba’s Fellows journey, and we have asked Friba to keep a journal of her adventures and experiences. This month, we posed some questions to her regarding her participation in the Detroit Leadership Conference. Here’s what she had to say.
1. How did you find the conference overall?
It was incredible! I had the chance to meet with other IWF members from various forums. I also had the opportunity to meet with a previous fellow from the IWF Fellowship program. She provided support and encouraged me to enjoy the conference and connect with new members of IWF. I found all the women amazing and very supportive of each other.
2. What were some of the highlights for you?
My connection with a previous fellow from the program who truly helped me get the most from the conference was definitely a highlight.
3. Interesting people you met and perhaps your interactions with the other fellows?
I met with many interesting women. To name a few, Barbara Faulkenberry, a retired general from the US Air Force, stood out. She was one of the very few women who joined the Air Force and paved the way for other women to join the Air Force Academy. She mentioned that she had been to Afghanistan multiple times. She was strong, incredible, inspiring, and funny!
Also, I had the honor to meet the launch director for Artemis rockets from NASA. We had a fascinating conversation about women in science and STEM.
4. And finally what have you chosen as your legacy project?
I chose the “Afghanistan Learns Online” program, which is an online teaching and learning platform designed for young Afghan women whose schools have been closed by the Taliban, forcing them to stay at home. This program covers four subjects: Math; Digital Literacy; English Language; Dari (One of Afghanistan’s official languages)
The objective of this program is to provide online access to education for girls to help them complete high school and obtain a certificate of incorporation with UBC, enabling them to apply for college or university.
BC Leadership Fellows Program Committee:
Patra DaSilva, Dierdre Campbell, Patricia Chew, Naznin Virji-Babul, Barbara Mowat, Joanne Gassman