By Shirley Bonnem*
What started in March 1977 as a connecting point for a small group of Philadelphia-area women in corporate leadership roles has grown into a dynamic network of more than 300 women of influence representing numerous professions and industries. When founding members Lee van de Velde and Judith M. Von Seldeneck invited 60 women to that first luncheon at the then all-male Philadelphia Racquet Club—and all 60 came to the luncheon—they knew they had something great in the making. Thus, The Forum of Executive Women was born, and 25 years later is going strong!
The Forum has grown to meet the needs of the times. Composition of the organization has changed, too. The organization has expanded from business-women executives to a heterogeneous group now having corporate executives, business owners and professionals, and members representing not-for-profit and government agencies.
Just about every career is represented in The Forum, including accounting, architecture, arts and culture, community activism, construction, consumer services, data processing, education, engineering, executive search, food services, human services, consulting, law, manufacturing, outplacement, philanthropy, printing and publishing, real estate, retail, telecommunications, and transportation.
It is a tribute to the organization that the majority of its members are actively involved in some way with a committee or other Forum initiative. Committees include Executive Suites, Programs, Sponsorship, Communications, Membership, Visibility, and Women, Policy and Politics.
Issues affecting women in the workplace and in their personal lives have been addressed often. In 1990 a Forum task force explored what was dubbed the “mommy track” and its influence on how women were treated in their business offices. In 2001 The Forum Strategic Planning Task Force embarked on a new strategic planning effort that would help define the goals and objectives of The Forum for the next several years, goals and objectives consistent with The Forum’s mission of “advancing women leaders in the greater st1:City>Philadelphia region.” In 2003 The Forum published its third-consecutive report on Women on Boards: The Forum of Executive Women, Executive Suites Initiative, which highlighted the Executives Suites Committee’s extensive research on the status of women on corporate boards. The Forum intends to publish this report annually.
The Forum of Executive Women held its 20th anniversary with a party that drew more than 300 people. Attendees viewed creatively decorated masks created by Forum members and women celebrities in the area. Five years later, an even larger group celebrated the 25th anniversary with a gala evening at The Kimmel Center of Performing Arts in Philadelphia. This event saw the launching of the next phase of The Forum Award, a scholarship given yearly to support the leadership development and training of a promising young woman leader of the future. These 25 years have brought women executives into the mainstream of the region’s major business and not-for-profit organizations, nurtured friendships for many that will last, and taught us that together we can go much further.
*Shirley Bonnem originally wrote this history of The Forum of Executive Women for the organization’s 25th birthday. The Forum office has since revised the history to reflect the 25th anniversary.
As the Forum of Executive Women celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2007, the organization is poised to serve a new generation of women leaders in the region. Several enhancements to our infrastructure have strengthened our capabilities for influence, while key initiatives and partnerships are having material impact on our mission to advance women leaders in the region, including:
The addition of a professional administrator, Jane Barr Pino, in 1999 to run the day-to-day activities of the organization enabled programs and member communication to flow seamlessly. The arrival of Sharon Hardy as the Forum’s Executive Director in 2000 has helped to maintain the organization’s strategic direction from year to year as officers of the organization change.
Committees: Today, the Forum accomplishes its mission to advance women leaders through groups of active members dedicated to important initiatives: current committees include Membership, Finance, Executive Suites, Marketing, Public Sector Leadership, and Member Engagement.
Mentoring Initiative: The Forum of Executive Women Mentoring Program began as a pilot in 2005-2006, as an extension of our mission to develop and advance women leaders in the Philadelphia region, by pairing seasoned female executives with less experienced women on their way up the ladder.
Media Watch Study: Media Watch Research conducted by the Forum’s Strategic Marketing Committee and researchers at Temple University and published in 2006 revealed subtle differences in how women and men leaders are covered in local newspapers. The Forum shared this important research results with four major print publications including the Philadelphia Business Journal, the Philadelphia Inquirer, the Daily News and the Camden County Courier Post.
In 2005, the FOEW’s Board added to the organization’s core mission statement to reflect the members’ value of diversity and inclusion.
Creation of a Forum Foundation: The Forum Foundation got off the ground in 2004 thanks to the generosity of the Founders who each contributed $5000: Caron Ammon; Pam Godwin; Rosemarie Greco; Susan Jaffe; Anne Klein; Leslie Miller and the Miller-Worley Foundation; Ivy Silver; Judee von Seldeneck; Karol Wasylyshyn; Tara Weiner and Harriet Weiss. The Foundation also had the support of many Friends, too numerous to name here, who each contributed $1000 to launch this great new Forum initiative.
Executive Suites Committee continued to look at the Women on Boards and in C-Suites resulting in the Annual “Women On Boards” report to the members, media, and key influencers in the region.
ION partnership: The Forum has formed a coalition (ION) with seven other regional organizations (in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Florida, Michigan, Milwaukee, California and Philadelphia) dedicated to advancing women into executive leadership roles and corporate board seats.
Exciting programs on thought-provoking topics featuring world-class speakers and experts and at newly opened venues and exhibits.
Redesigned the FOEW website based on member feedback to focus on news and information they can use and provide tools that connect members with members. www.foew.com.