Loyola Launches Launches Inaugural Women's Leadership Academy
High-profile speakers line up to address inaugural cohort
Loyola University New Orleans Launches Women’s Leadership Academy
(New Orleans –March 28, 2019) We need a few good women! Loyola University New Orleans launches a Women’s Leadership Academy in April and is seeking participants for its inaugural cohort of this non-degree program.
High-profile speakers for the nine-month program include: Loyola President Tania Tetlow, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, Republican political strategist and television commentator Mary Matalin, leading labor and employment lawyer Kim Boyle, Emmy-winning journalist and TV news executive Betsy Fischer Martin, author and communications leader Sally Forman, Loyola Professor of Management Michelle K. Johnston, former U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu, Louisiana State Representative Julie Stokes (R-Dist. 79), New Orleans City Councilwoman Helena Moreno and Dr. Mary Killackey, chair of the Department of Surgery at the Tulane University School of Medicine.
“Some of the most influential and seasoned women leaders in the New Orleans business community and political circles have volunteered to serve as mentors in this top-flight program designed to foster the next generation of leaders in our region,” said Rachelle Matherne, director of professional and continuing studies at Loyola. “These women are powerhouses. They include leading CEOs, nonprofit executives, elected officials, education leaders, entrepreneurs, and business owners, including our very own leader, Loyola University New Orleans President Tania Tetlow.”
“Women in the workplace face unique and additional challenges – gender equity issues, disparate pay, sexual harassment, bias in the workplace, and work-life balance issues, to name a few,” said President Tetlow. “Having learned so much throughout my career from other women, including my own mentor, the late Congresswoman and Ambassador Lindy Boggs, I believe in the far-reaching impact of women nurturing other women in the workplace.”
Also slated to speak are: Andy Kopplin, president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Foundation, and John Nickens, president and CEO of Children’s Hospital New Orleans and LCMC Health Maternal and Child Health Services.
The Conference Board, a not-for-profit national tank recently surveyed 300 HR executives, 74 percent of whom were women. Results show that:
- 65 percent agree there is not enough female representation in the c-suite
- Half of respondents believe there are not enough women in the pipeline to fill open leadership positions.
- 40 percent do not believe women are gaining the experiences necessary to help them advance
The Women's Leadership Academy at Loyola is designed to enable women in the region to achieve their greatest professional potential through leadership training, personal development, and one-on-one mentorships. The inaugural Women's Leadership Academy consists of 10 on-campus class sessions; monthly one-hour, one-on-one mentorship meetings; a one-hour, one-on-one deep dive into your Individual Development Plan created throughout the program; and networking opportunities with fellow rising leaders in the region.
Class sessions will be facilitated by Amy Landry, an MBTI© Certified Practitioner for Myers-Briggs Type Indicator training, and include guest speakers and micro-learning seminars conducted by expert Loyola University New Orleans faculty and staff. Micro-learning seminars will include lessons in: project management, public speaking, critical thinking, emotional intelligence, conflict resolution, negotiation, strategic planning, and networking.
In this high-level leadership academy, participants will use their individual development to chart their own progress, demonstrate achievements, and plan future success in their own workplaces. The academy meets all day one Tuesday per month for nine months, from April 19 through Jan. 21.