Comparing it to work by Frank Lloyd Wright and anticipating it will draw visitors from around the country, the Women’s Leadership Center is being celebrated in a full-length feature article in the Spring 2025 issue of At The Lake, a quarterly publication highlighting the lifestyle, culture, people, and history of southeastern Wisconsin.
“Leading by Example” describes the creative collaboration of Center founder Ann Drake and architect Jeanne Gang to imagine and create the stunning campus currently under construction on the shores of Geneva Lake. The full-color architectural illustrations are an early peek at the three main buildings currently under construction plus the gently twisting boardwalk that will take visitors down through a wooded ravine from campus to the shoreline.
It’s a story, the article says, about “architecture that fosters creativity and collaboration, and embraces the natural beauty and ecology of Geneva Lake.” The Center has been designed by the award-winning architecture and urban design firm of Studio Gang, founded and led by “starchitect” Jeanne Gang, winner of a MacArthur Foundation “genius grant” and named to Time magazine’s 2019 list of the 100 most influential people among other honors.
When it opens in 2026, the Center will be a meeting place for female leaders from across the country in a unique space designed to foster collaboration, creativity, and new approaches to addressing complex issues.
“We want women leaders to be at the front of initiatives that are helping our world,” says Ann Drake. “That’s why we’re building this space.”
“The Women’s Leadership Center will be a fabulous addition to the lakefront and the community of Williams Bay,” notes Geneva Lake Association president Lynn Grayson.
The 24,000-square-foot conference center is being built to host a wide range of activities year-round, from day-long board retreats of 15-20 attendees up to five-day leadership summits for 60-80. By offering a tranquil, inspiring setting for working and thinking, Drake hopes to keep fulfilling her mission and the Center’s—to “elevate women’s leadership and create a future in which women are at the forefront of improving the world we live in.”