WWPR 2019 President, Senior Governmental and Political Outreach Manager, American Society of Anesthesiologists

As we wrap up the conclusion of Black History Month, I am especially proud of WWPR as an organization that celebrates diversity and inclusion.

While we don’t have complete records for every year of WWPR, this year is doubtless one of the most diverse Board of Directors we’ve seen in comparison to previous years, including four incredible African American women that are change-makers both on our board and in their own right. But it doesn’t stop there – we believe this year is the first year we have a Native American woman on the Board, plus a variety of other women from different backgrounds, ages and expertise. As communications professionals, we know the importance of having a diverse range of voices at the table, and that’s something we celebrate at WWPR, so that our members can have the right tools and support to carry these same ideals into their workplace and communities. Want to know more about our amazing new Board? Join us this week at our (rescheduled) Meet the Board Happy Hour, Wednesday, February 27.

In direct correlation to the Board, I believe WWPR’s programming is just as diverse as our member base. Next month, we will host our first Professional Development event targeted to women early or mid-level in their careers (stay tuned for more on this!). We have also scheduled our second in a series of senior level communicators roundtables, in partnership with our sponsor AARP. Similarly, our two signature events celebrate women at very different stages of their career. The Emerging Leaders Awards recognizes young women who have already shown success while the Woman of the Year Award celebrates a communications professional who has had a storied career of accomplishments. And by the way, our Woman of the Year date is already set, so you should mark you calendar for November 15.