Professional Development Session

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Gender Equality Reimagined

Exploring Possibilities Through the 2015 Asilomar Declaration and Call to Action

Day: 7 November 2024
Time: 9:00 – 12:00
Price: $50
Location: Hilton Chicago Downtown
Facilitators:  Melissa K. Mahan, Dionne Rosser-Mims

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Full Description

This workshop will review the 2015 Asilomar Declaration and Call to Action (ADCA) and explore new possibilities of gender equality through an immersion process. The ADCA document is approaching a huge milestone, its 10-year anniversary. It was created by the ILA Women and Leadership Affinity Group (WLAG), now known as ILA Women and Leadership (W&L). The goal of the ADCA document is to advance the women and leadership conversation globally.  This document has been widely distributed to highlight declarations and calls to action that would transform and strengthen gender equality.  The ADCA was formed by studying the related 1995 The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, which provided an assessment of the status of women at the close of the twentieth century and suggested paths forward. To build on these actions, WLAG identified leadership issues according to two criteria: (1) issues directly related to women and leadership that the UN reports confirmed need more work and research; and (2) issues in which members of the WLAG have expertise and knowledge. Five areas emerged:  

Section I: Increasing Equality in Power and Decision-Making  

Section II: Helping Girls and Young Women Become Leaders  

Section III: Expanding Leadership Education and Development Worldwide  

Section IV: Advancing Women in Leadership  

Section V: Identifying Critical Areas for Future Research 

This workshop will use an immersion process to explore the 2015 ADCA and discover transformative ways to continue to capture and disseminate our collective ideas and challenge ourselves and the world to change the status of women worldwide.  

Learning Objectives/Goals

  • Provide context to the 2015 Asilomar Declaration and Call to Action. 
  • Participants will build action steps around moving gender equality forward. 
  • Participants will be able to network and gain best practices on women and leadership.  

Agenda

9:00 – 9:15: Welcome 

9:15  – 9:45: Context Building Around the 2015 Asilomar Declaration and Call to Action 

9:45 – 10:00: Develop Breakout Groups 

10:00 – 10:15: break 

10:15 – 11:30:  Breakout group work and report outs 

11:30 – 12:00: Next steps with action steps 

Facilitators

Melissa Mahan

Melissa K. Mahan currently serves as Associate Vice Provost of Academic Innovation at the University of Texas at San Antonio. In her role, Dr. Mahan coordinates the advancement of the university’s workforce programs, business community engagement, and professional and continuing education offerings.  

Dionne Rosser-Mims

Dr. Dionne Rosser-Mims has enjoyed a distinguished career in higher education, encompassing over 25 years of experience. Her expertise lies in teaching, training, and talent development. She currently holds the esteemed position of Vice Chancellor at Troy University’s Phenix City Campus and is highly regarded as a professor of adult education and global leadership. Dr. Rosser-Mims is actively involved in various organizations, including Rotary International and the ILA’s Women and Leadership Member Community, where she serves as the President. Additionally, she contributes to several notable boards, such as the United Way of the Chattahoochee Valley, the East Alabama Chamber of Commerce, the Community Foundation of the Chattahoochee Valley, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. Dr. Rosser-Mims, a proud alumna of the University of Georgia, earned her master’s and Ph.D. degrees from the institution. Her commitment to inclusivity, social justice, and the transformative power of education drives her active volunteerism with local nonprofit organizations focused on education, mentorship, leader development, and economic empowerment.