Inaugural Women’s Conference Focused on Fostering Success, Building Leadership Opportunities 

ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 17, 2019) — More than 200 members of the University’s faculty and staff — primarily women — gathered last week for a conference dedicated to strengthening connections, sharing experiences and encouraging the leadership of the University’s women.

The conference, “Authoring Women’s Success,” began Thursday evening with a reception in the University Art Museum. It kicked into high gear Friday, with a full day of sessions and open discussions on topics including mentoring, self-advocacy, silo busting, and ways to make the University more women-friendly.

“We have been hearing over the last couple of years that women are having a moment,” said Winsome Foderingham, the associate director of the Office of Corporate and Foundation Relations and one of the conference organizers. “Women having impact is nothing new, I believe there is a moment of awareness and notice, due to hard lessons of what is no longer acceptable.”

The conference was organized by the Women in Higher Education Steering Committee, a group charged with developing programs and events that help to create a campus climate that enhances women’s success.

President Rodríguez, in his opening remarks, emphasized that the importance of women’s success is deeply embedded in the University’s core priority of diversity and inclusion.

“We need to make certain that we are doing everything we can as an institution to support women’s success,” he said, adding later in his remarks: “As one of the nation’s most diverse Research 1 universities, part of our mission and vision is to enhance the diversity of voices reflected in our campus conversations.”

Photos by Patrick Dodson and Scott Freedman

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