Members of the Women's Leadership Board are committed to working closely with women students at the Harvard Kennedy School to encourage their leadership and connect them to opportunities in their fields of interest.
Call to Action for Members
The Women's Leadership Board is pleased to announce the 2007-2008 launch of the new On-line Mentoring Match-up Program. The goal of the On-line Mentoring Match-up Program is to tap into the vast professional experience of the Women's Leadership Board's individual and corporate members globally to help students in their career paths and academic choices by sharing career advice, job-search strategies and other tips. The questionnaire enables you to indicate the number of mentees you would like and the best method of communication (phone, email, lunch, shadowing, etc.) that suits your availability.
Internships for Harvard Kennedy School Students
The WLB has partnered with the Jordan River Foundation under the supervision of Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah to provide an internship for one Harvard Kennedy School student for the summer of 2008. This student will have the incredible opportunity to work with the Jordan River Foundation on rural development programs that have a profound affect on women and the larger community.
NEW! The summer 2008 Jordan River Foundation Intern has shared a reflection and a Thank You.
To view them, click on the following links: Thank You, Intern Reflection, Intern Reflection 2
The Adrienne Hall Women's Mentorship Fund
Increasing the number of women in decision-making and the inclusion of women's perspective in the policies and programs of governance bodies is necessary and of growing importance. Since its inception in 1996, the Women's Leadership Board at Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government has developed mentoring strategies to develop the complete personality of a young woman and to empower her to participate more fully in governance and to participate in leading positions in her community.
Mentoring programs developed by the Women's Leadership Board have included Harvard Kennedy School students, junior faculty and young visiting women fellows, and Harvard Kennedy School alumnae. Initiatives have included "Career Conversations," a very successful series of lectures and interaction sessions, privately hosted dinners and breakfast events during the Women's Leadership Board's bi-annual meetings. The WLB has worked closely with the Women and Public Policy Program at the Harvard Kennedy School to support young women faculty and to build a network of support among female visiting fellows. Women's Leadership Board funding has also provided the opportunity for mid-career women to create a seminar series in which they do peer mentoring. These efforts have been constrained by the availability of funds as they have been supported out of general operating funds.
The success of these programs has highlighted the need for more extensive mentoring activities as more students want more access to more information from a diversity of accomplished women. This fortuitously coincides with the formal launch of the Adrienne Hall Women's Mentorship Fund.
The endowed fund, conceived and established through a founding gift by Loreen Arbus, will institutionalize, expand and enhance the mentoring initiative of the Women's Leadership Board. Utilizing these funds, the Board intends to expand its programs by connecting its membership as mentors with student mentees. Commencing July 1, 2008, a pilot state-of the-art initiative which uses a face-to-face and virtual interactions will be launched. The first demonstration was held at its November 2006 meeting. Objectives include:
- Establish matches based on common interests and professional goals so that mentor and mentee teams can develop individualized expectations, actions and goals.
- Develop print, teleconferencing and web-based opportunities for support to the teams, promotion of the effort, and enhanced networking for career opportunities.
- Establish a series of "connecting" events which will allow mentors and mentees to come together in substantive and social gatherings.
The Board established the Adrienne Hall Lecture Series. These lectures are delivered annually by a distinguished woman leader who has achieved the highest level in her profession and is a recognized role model, mentor and advocate for women. The first speaker was Queen Rania of Jordan.
Prominently ascribed to the Adrienne Hall Women's Mentorship Fund, contributions to the Fund will be invested in the Harvard endowment. When available, income will be distributed to the Women's Leadership Board for use on an annual basis. A rigorous program of evaluation will be employed to assure that the programs are achieving their desired results. Mentoring Teams will report annually to the Women's Leadership Board membership on the status and adjustments will be made as required. Please contact us if you would like to know how you can contribute to the Adrienne Hall Women's Mentorship Fund.
Since the summer of 2006, the Women's Leadership Board of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government has proudly sponsored the Future Women Leaders Program and Fellows at the Harvard Summer School. These fellowships allow talented undergraduate women to attend the Harvard Summer School for a two-month intensive program over the summer months. The primary purpose of these fellowships is to recognize and empower young women who have the capacity to be leaders in their home countries.
Members of the Women Leadership Board are committed to working closely with the John F. Kennedy School of Government women students to encourage their leadership and connect them to opportunities in their fields of interest.
Resources For Women's Leadership and Policy
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