Women’s leadership group expanding its outreach

CORALVILLE - The Iowa Women's Leadership Conference, which just wrapped up two days of networking and learning opportunities Wednesday in Coralville, is planning statewide events to reach more women.

Normally, the organization holds a luncheon in even-numbered years and a two-day conference in odd-numbered years in the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor. Diane Ramsey, IWLC executive director, said more events are planned in other communities to reach more women statewide.

“We will be hosting a luncheon Sept. 22 at the Hy-Vee Conference Center in West Des Moines,” said Ramsey, also principal project manager at Rockwell Collins. “Betsy Myers (chief operating officer of the Obama for America campaign and former executive director of Center for Public Leadership at the Harvard Kennedy School) will be our keynote speaker.

“We're also planning a fundraising event later this year to provide additional financing for the organization. A big part of what we encourage is experiential learning, so we're hoping to organize a trip to Italy later this year.”

The Iowa Women's Leadership Conference is dedicated to informing, inspiring, and challenging women leaders. The first two-day conference in 2007 attracted more than 400 women, exceeding the 300 that had been expected to attend.

“In 2009, 550 women attended the conference and we had a budget of just over $200,000,” Ramsey said. “This year, we maxed out at 850 registered for the conference and our budget was more than $500,000.”

Last year's ILWC luncheon, with personal finance expert and author Suze Orman as keynote speaker, attracted about 1,200 women.

Author Maya Angelou spoke Tuesday evening to more than 1,100 women at the Coralville Marriott Hotel & Conference Center. The hotel set up a video feed to more than 240 women who came to hear Angelou in addition to the 850 attending the conference.

“One of the things that has really helped our attendance is bringing in blockbuster speakers,” said Angel West, a member of the IWLC steering committee since 2009. “We're bringing in people that many women would not have an opportunity to see in person, and we're doing it at a fairly reasonable price. Many leadership conferences charge $1,500 and we're at $375.”

West, a partner with Nyemaster Goode, Iowa's largest law firm with an office in Cedar Rapids, said the IWLC invites students from Coe College and the University of Iowa to the conference. She said students have an opportunity to volunteer their time at booths and tables during the conference in return for attending breakout sessions and other events.

“We're looking for additional ways we can inform, inspire and challenge more Iowa women beyond the Cedar Rapids-Iowa City Corridor,” West said.