To women facing gender-related issues at work: There’s likely someone who’s been there, done that and succeeded.
Hear from such overcomers — “very successful women” — at the Women Who Rule luncheon from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 20.
“There’s going to be some good advice,” said Julie Cyr, vice president of resource development for the United Way of the Coastal Empire, which will host the event.
The discussion and Q&A session at the Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa costs $45. Tickets are sold by phone through May 15.
“We select women in our community who have excelled in their profession,” said Connie Farmer Ray, chair for the United Way Women’s Legacy Council.
“We just started listing wonderful women in the community, and we had way too many to put up on that stage this year,” Cyr said.
They plan for a third annual Women Who Rule event next year, which will include more top locals.
This year’s panel presents five area leaders: District Attorney Meg Heap; Savannah City Manager Stephanie Cutter; Shannon Iwanski, director of initial phase procurement at Gulfstream Aerospace; Vaden Automotive Group CEO Jane Vaden Thacher; and M. Ann Levett, chief academic officer for Savannah-Chatham County public schools.
St. Vincent’s Academy Principal Mary Anne Hogan will moderate the event.
“They’re excited to be able to help other women,” Cyr said of the volunteer speakers.
The women will tell how they became successful and the challenges they faced.
One speaker last year, for example, talked about juggling her job and home life with children.
Speakers also told the audience things they would do differently.
The United Way’s phone rang again and again after last year’s event, according to Cyr. Attendees kept calling, praising the impact of the session.
“It’s really good for women of all ages,” Cyr said.
Women who have been in the workplace a while may nod their heads in agreement with what they hear. Younger women may want to take notes.
“I think it would definitely benefit the young professionals to hear,” Cyr said.
But the panel is diverse enough that anyone attending will be able to relate to many of their answers, Ray said.
“I know that things are changing for women, and there is more opportunity than in recent years,” she said. “But (it’s) still challenging, especially with keeping the home front going at the same time.”
But the best part of the event happens afterward, according to Cyr: “the end result.”
Women in the United Way Women’s Legacy Council started Women Who Rule to raise money for other local women.
Locals who work minimum-wage jobs can have a tough time buying groceries or getting their child to a doctor’s appointment.
Even a $60 a month bus pass is too expensive for some.
“It has been a need for a lot of years,” Cyr said. “If you’re making a minimum wage, it’s hard to support your family.”
But Cyr predicts a sold-out event to help local women do just that.
“The one thing I like about the event is women getting together to share, women helping women,” Ray said. “When you get women, only women in a group, they let their hair down, no pretenses.”
IF YOU GO
What: Women Who Rule luncheon
When: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. May 20
Where: The Westin Savannah Harbor Golf Resort & Spa, 1 Resort Drive
Cost: $45
Info: www.uwce.org or 912-651-7718