Last winter Donna Haghighat, CEO of the Women’s Fund, received a call from Mary Walachy, Executive Director of The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation, about the opportunity to bring The OpEd Project to Western Massachusetts. Trustee John Davis had attended a conference in New Orleans and had heard Katie Orenstein of The OpEd Project give an interactive talk about learning to use your voice and expertise to influence public discussion. John was so inspired by the presentation that The Davis Foundation reached out to the Community Foundation of Western MA (CFWM) to find a way to bring Orenstein to Springfield. Katie Zobel, President and CEO, of CFWM loved the idea and suggested that the Women’s Fund would be the perfect organization to present the event.
And so, here we are!
The Women’s Fund with support from The Irene E. and George A. Davis Foundation is bringing The OpEd Project’s presentation Owning Expertise: A Live Experiment in How Credibility Works and How Ideas Arise on Tuesday, September 25 from 3-5 pm to our region. The event is being hosted by Strategic Alliances at Bay Path University and will take place at the Blake Student Commons at Bay Path University.
Who Should Attend?
Anyone who wants to make a difference in the world, but particularly women who, studies have routinely shown, have trouble considering themselves knowledgeable enough to speak about a topic. This workshop will help you understand that you’re more of an expert than you realize and your knowledge is worth sharing. We’ll surface hidden beliefs about expertise and power, and explore ways to walk through difficult terrain with integrity.
What to Expect:
Katie Orenstein, Founder and CEO of The OpEd Project, is a dynamic presenter. You can expect a highly-interactive workshop where you’ll leave with bold ideas, a deeper sense of what you know and stand for, and actionable steps.
About The OpEd Project:
Orenstein, started The OpEd Project because “the range of voices we hear from in the world is incredibly narrow – and comes from a tiny sliver of the world’s population: mostly western, white, older, privileged and overwhelmingly (85%) male.”
The OpEd Project works to increase the range of voices and quality of ideas we hear in the world. Their first goal is to increase the number of women thought leaders contributing to key commentary forums. This includes not just opinion pieces in newspapers, but in online forums, interviews, and social media; anywhere thought-provoking discussions are taking place. They’re out to change the conversation so that we hear the opinions of people previously left out.
Join Us
The event is free, but space is limited. Register here.
September 25, 2018
3-5 pm
Bay Path University, Longmeadow, MA
