Annual NAAMBA Women Leadership Summit

at the
3rd Annual NAAMBA Leadership Conference & Exposition
Leadership to New Heights!

Presented by the NAAMBA Women Leadership Council

The NAAMBA Women Leadership Council hosted its 1st Annual NAAMBA Women Leadership Summit at the 3rd Annual NAAMBA Leadership Conference & Exposition, September 8-10, 2011 in New York City.

Recognizing the unique professional needs of multicultural women in the workplace and to provide a platform which addresses such needs, NAAMBA established the Women Leadership Council in early 2011.

Message from the Council Co-Chairs

Ouraphone Siri-Outhay, Director of Diversity Recruiting, UnitedHealth Group (UHG)

Janelle Neva-Aaker, Global Retail Consumer Education Manager, Nike, Inc.

Women across the world are reaching unprecedented heights. Most of those women did not reach those heights alone -- they had mentors, sponsors, networks, confidants, trainers, workshops, and people who simply believed in them. Some made considerable sacrifices along the way.

Together, we can enable women to reach their professional goals – whatever those goals may be. We look forward to having you join us on this journey as we shed light on some of the obstacles that face multicultural women as they rise to new professional heights. Share your own stories. Expand your network. Listen.

Summit Agenda Overview

The Summit consisted of speeches by the Countil Co-Chairs on Thursday, September 8 at the Conference Kick-Off, followed by a robust panel discussion and a professional development workshop at the Leadership Conference on Friday, September 9.

Summit Agenda Details

Day 1: Thursday, September 8, 2011
Summit Commencement
5:30 pm - 8:30 pm
Venue: Princeton Club of New York

The Summit commenced at the Conference Kick-Off on Thursday, September 8, 2011. Attendees heard from the Council Co-Chairs who spoke about the the mission of the Council, shared respective and collective vision for the Council and shared their involvement within the Council. This also provided an opportunity for attendees to network with the Council Leaders and learn how they can be a part of the Council and NAAMBA!

Day 2: Friday, September 9, 2011

Summit Professional Development Workshop

Topic: Thrive in Your Career: Bring Your Whole Self to Work

Synopsis: For many women of Asian heritage, there’s a sense that we have to “check” part of our selves at the door when we go to work. We may feel we have to “pretend” all is well at work and home even when we’re not. Whether it’s about acting more assertively than we’d prefer, or about staying muffled about our hopes for having children, or about struggling to integrate tacit expectations from our cultures regarding family and work, there seems to be a price to be paid to succeed in our professions. But thriving, not just surviving, in our careers is possible. It’s about redefining our vision of our “Best Professional Self”, recognizing we have a repertoire of personalities and preferences from which to consciously showcase at any given moment. Bringing your whole self to work is not about pretending or fighting natural tendencies, it is about choice, which puts the control back in our hands. Each of us is incredibly rich and contoured! In this seminar, rich discussions were made about these choices and attendees walked away knowing they could take a lead in their professions with their whole self, including specific takeaway actions for them to employ after the conference.

10:50 am - 12:00 pm, Concurrent Seminars & Professional Development Workshop 1, Session D
Room: Imperial/Julliard (5th Floor, Marriott Marquis Hotel, 1535 Broadway, New York, 10036)

Day 2: Friday, September 9, 2011
 

Summit Panel Discussion 

Topic: Developing Multicultural Women Leaders

Synopsis: This panel discussion brought together accomplished and inspirational women leaders across industries and engaged the audience in a powerful discussion surrounding the unique needs of and obstacles faced by multicultural women in the workplace. The panelists shared their knowledge and expertise on why companies should invest in providing professional development opportunities for women, what companies have done and need to do to continuously develop and retain women leaders, and what women themselves can do to manage and sustain their careers over the long-term.

1:25 pm - 2:35 pm, Concurrent Seminars & Professional Development Workshop 2, Session B 
Room: Carnegie/Lyceum (5th Floor, Marriott Marquis Hotel, 1535 Broadway, New York, 10036)