President’s Letter: Celebrating Growth and Looking Ahead
Dear WWPR Community,
Spring is in full bloom, and so is the momentum within our WWPR network! 🌸 I continue to be inspired by the strength of this community and the incredible energy we’ve seen at every turn this year.
Last month, we hosted a dynamic professional development event and happy hour, and we were blown away by the response—over 100 RSVPs, with registration closing early due to demand! It’s clear that our community is eager to connect, share, and grow together, and we’re thrilled to keep building on that excitement.
A Few Important Updates and Upcoming Events:
✨ Emerging Leaders Awards – June 11
We are officially counting down to our 15th Annual Emerging Leaders Awards! Nominations are still open through May 9, and I encourage you to nominate a rising star in your network and know that we love seeing self-nominations as well! This event is such a powerful celebration of young women who are making an incredible impact in our field, and we can't wait to honor them this June in Washington, D.C.
✨ Woman of the Year – October 3
Mark your calendars for our next signature event of the year—our annual Woman of the Year celebration returns to the beautiful Salamander DC this fall. Stay tuned for more details in the months ahead!
✨ Upcoming Programming
Stay tuned for some exciting updates about our professional development programming coming in May! And don't miss the next dinner in our Executive Communicator Series on June 12 at Café Riggs. Registration is open now, and these dinners have been a huge success for building real community among senior communicators. A big thank you to MiQ for making this series possible!
✨ New Peer Mentoring Program: WWPR LINK
We’re thrilled to be launching WWPR LINK: A Peer Mentoring Network this summer! LINK will connect members through small, curated groups focused on shared learning, candid conversations, and career growth. Applications are open now for the pilot cohort running July–December 2025.
👉 Apply here by June 1!
✨ Member Scholarships Coming Soon
In the spirit of community support, I’m excited to share that we’ll soon be offering a limited number of scholarships for WWPR members who have recently been laid off, thanks to a generous donation from a past Woman of the Year honoree. Stay tuned for more details soon.
Finally, I want to take a moment to highlight the incredible work our Pro Bono Committee is doing alongside our 2024-2025 pro bono client, Running Start. It’s inspiring to see how our members are making a difference by supporting young women in their journey toward leadership. You can learn more about the partnership and ways to get involved here.
Thank you for being part of WWPR’s vibrant community—and for everything you do to lift one another up. I can’t wait to see what we continue to accomplish together this year!
With gratitude,
Colleen Lerro Gallagher
WWPR President
