Women's Leadership Conference Meets Today

Described by organizers as a "boot camp" for female campus leaders, the Women's Leadership Conference is giving 35 participants a chance to learn from some of the country's female leaders.

The tenth annual conference, which began Friday and continues through tomorrow, is a combination of panels, lecturers and workshops that participants described as "intense. "

"There need to be forums in which women are formally mentored, in which they are the primary targets of the discussion and the discussion is focused on them in leadership, " said organizer Lauren A. Hammer '98.

Speakers at the conference include Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson, Executive Producer of "48 Hours" Susan Zarinsky and Marjorie Margolies Mezvinsky, a former U.S. Representative, who delivered the keynote address on Friday.

"It's been good in terms of exposing me to different fields I wasn't really thinking of, " said conference attendee Vi Thuy Nguyen, who directs a public service program, Boston Refugee Youth Enrichment, and is also co-president of the Harvard Vietnamese Association.

According to conference materials, organizers have designed the event to both "train" and "empower" women leaders, as well as establish a system of contacts between women.

But while the conference is geared to address the unique challenges faced by women, speakers and panelists have approached questions of gender from a variety of perspectives.

Media panelists diverged over the question of whether women had to play by different rules than men in order to succeed.

Business panelists grappled with the same question.

"As you begin careers and look at what happens to people, don't assume it's because they're women, " said President and CEO of Mitchell Hutchins Asset Management Inc. Margo Alexander.

While panelists acknowledged women's strengths, Lo-Ping Yeh, a principal at McKinsey, a management consulting firm, said she believes her own "professional personality is genderless. "

The WLP was founded in 1988 when two undergraduates became concerned about the scarcity of women in extracurricular leadership positions.

Hammer said while there has been some progress in bolstering women's leadership presence on campus, the WLP and the conference still serve a critical purpose.

"It's not the difference of women, it's the difference in our experiences, " she said. "I think it's important to provide a forum for people who have the same experiences to come together and discuss what works."

"These kind of forums happen informally among men on campus, " she said.

Nguyen said she agreed with Hammer.

"There's such a lack of female camaraderie, friendship and support [on campus], " she said, saying that the conference provided that experience for her.

The conference, which is directed by the Women's Leadership Project (WLP), includes panels on academia, business, government, health and science, media and public service.

Today, a panel on Health and Science will take place in Harvard Hall 104 at 10 a.m., featuring Dr. Vivian Pinn, associate director of the National Institute of Health for Research on Women's Health.

Tomorrow, the public is invited to attend a panel on Public Service, featuring the editor in chief of Teen Voices Magazine and the president and CEO of the Boston YWCA.