Message from the 2024 Women's Forum Subcommittee Chair

Caley Mutrie, CAE, IOM

The WSAE Women’s Forum is excited to present its third annual conference: Leading Out Loud. This conference will unite women and allies in the association, nonprofit, and hospitality industries. 

Terry Pearce coined "Leading Out Loud" in his 1995 book Leading Out Loud: Inspiring Change Through Authentic Communications. When we lead out loud, we communicate authentically from the inside out. And that's what the 2024 WSAE Women's Forum is about - bringing our authentic selves together for a day of sharing, listening, learning from each other's wisdom and experience, and creating genuine connections. 

When we lead out loud, we use our voices to create opportunities and shift perspectives. When we speak up and take risks, we free ourselves of limiting societal norms and the roles we've absorbed throughout our lives and careers from gender stereotyping. As aspiring and seasoned leaders alike, it is our responsibility to ourselves and each other to stop downplaying our experiences and opinions and support and inspire each other to find and raise our voices. 

Building on the success and learnings of the 2022 and 2023 Women's Forums, this year's Forum will focus on leadership and career development, expanding our influence as leaders in our communities, becoming more assertive in our communications, leveraging the mentor/mentee relationship for personal and organizational benefit, learning from each other how to handle complex and challenging situations that confront us in our professional lives every day, and the importance of wellness, managing stress and caring for ourselves.

This year's Women's Forum will create space for consequential discussions, motivating us to tap into our unique inner voices and raise them for personal and collective benefit in the workplace, our homes, our communities, and our hearts and minds. This year's program is a day-long conversation between our presenters, facilitators, and you. So, ask your questions and share your experiences and successes as we inspire each other to raise our voices and lead out loud. 

Don't wait! Please register today and plan to join us for what will be an engaging and much-anticipated program!