Women's Initiative Events

The goal of The Council's Women's Initiative is to support women leaders, identify women in education who have leadership potential and help those women to aspire to leadership roles. 

Fall 2020 Virtual Women's Initiative Series

We truly miss the in-person connections and bonds that we all make at the Women’s Initiative conferences but, we are really glad to be able to offer this series virtually. The overall theme of this series will be stories of strength and perseverance as well as being an advocate for yourself. We hope you can join us. We also want to invite all of our male leaders to join us and to be advocates in gender equity; by learning more about the gender issues that women face men can support, promote and cultivate more women leaders in education.

You can choose to register for one session or all four sessions in the series at a discounted rate (see links below).

November 5, 2020 / Leading and Living: A Personal Health Story / 3:30 – 4:30 pm

Join us for the first of four virtual sessions this fall for The Council’s Women’s Initiative featuring Dr. Tonia Thompson, Superintendent of Binghamton City Schools. Come listen to how advocacy skills used on the job were transformed to lifesaving skills during a personal crisis. As a female leader, demonstrating vulnerability and leaning on peer connections proved to be my most valuable assets.

Sponsored by Signature Partner CORE BTS

November 17, 2020 / Creating a Culture that Drives Innovation and Equity/
3:30 - 4:30 pm

Women are natural innovators...always looking for ways to improve and empower. A central tenant to the most innovative organizations is a workplace culture of equality. Join this engaging session to explore how women are uniquely positioned to build a culture of equality that drives innovation. The gender gap still exists, this session will tackle the importance of women in leadership roles and women's ability to build capacity to innovate and build a culture of equality. Featuring Susanne Thompson from Discovery Education.

Sponsored by Premier Silver Partner SWBR

December 1, 2020 / The Goldilocks Conundrum: Likeability in Women's Leadership /
4 – 5 pm

Mary Kay Roland, Superintendent of Johnson City Schools, will lead a conversation on how women leaders often struggle with the pressure to be likeable at work, at home, and in the public. The internalization of likeability can often cost women progress and power in leadership roles. The goal is to find that "sweet spot" in being a likeable pushover and being perceived as a strong, effective woman leader who is both liked and respected.

Sponsored by Signature Partner The ECG Group

December 10 / The Secrets of Negotiation / 3:30 – 4:30 pm

Featuring Suzanne McLeod, Coordinator of Educational Administration, Binghamton University, more details to follow.

Sponsored by Premier Diamond Partner Tetra Tech Architects & Engineers

$25 per session, $85 for all 4 sessions

REGISTER FOR ALL 4 SESSIONS HERE! Individual session registrations are linked above.

Questions? Contact Kelley Pratt, Program Associate at 518.694.4878 or kpratt@nyscoss.org.

Special Thanks to the Title Sponsor of The Women's Initiative!