Women Taking the Lead - 2022: A Year in Review

This was a big year for Women Taking the Lead, and as I look back at 2022, I’m excited about our growth, grateful for your support, and energized about the opportunities ahead in the new year.

In January, I became the new head of Women Taking the Lead, and my transition into the new role was quickly followed by an all-virtual event with brand strategist Catlin O’Shaughnessy Coffrin, who led 50 women in a workshop on Personal Branding for Executives. Since then, we’ve held several other successful events. WTTL partnered with the U.S. Chamber’s Equality of Opportunity Initiative and U.S.-Africa Business Center, as well as with the Association of Women in International Trade, to host an event on “Centering Women’s Leadership in African Trade Policy.” Distinguished women leaders and allies from the African Diplomatic Corps; senior officials from the U.S. government; state, local and U.S. Chamber leaders; corporate executives; and international thought leaders all joined us for the event. We also partnered with Women in Government Relations’ Executive Leadership Forum on an Executive Coaching event, which featured a panel of four female executive coaches and highlighted when personal coaching is important, as well as when to bring in a coach for an executive team. The latter two events were sold out.

In March during Women’s History Month, I launched this newsletter. Each month has a theme and includes an “In Her Own Words” spotlight interview, which gives me a chance to highlight one of the inspirational female executives within the U.S. Chamber’s corporate, small business, association, and federation membership.

For the first time, Women Taking the Lead also had a presence at several conferences. The Tory Burch Foundation’s Embrace Ambition Summit focused on ending the double standard around ambition, as well as challenging stereotypes and unconscious bias surrounding race, gender, and sexuality. Several U.S. Chamber members sponsored the event. I joined two of my colleagues, Latricia Boone and Jenna Shrove, in talking to over 50 women at the Women in Government Relations Annual DEI Summit about the Equality of Opportunity Initiative and WTTL. And, I attended the Galveston Regional Chamber of Commerce’s 15th Annual Women’s Conference, which was a sold-out, all-day event that included recognition of 6 women leaders from the community, panels on skills to be successful in business, and dynamic speakers.

I have even bigger WTTL plans for 2023, so be on the lookout for those details. Most importantly, though, as we close out the year and look to the next, I want to thank you for your continued support of WTTL. Women Taking the Lead’s mission is to drive “change in C-Suites, boardrooms, and Congressional and corner offices,” and together, we’re doing exactly that.

Have a happy and healthy new year!

About the authors

Allison Dembeck

Allison L. Dembeck is the former vice president of education and labor advocacy in the Government Affairs Division at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, focusing on education, labor, and workforce development issues.