They came together initially as 55 accomplished women who were strangers to each other but believers in a shared mission. And they partnered through the summer and fall of 2023 to deepen and expand that vision. A year later, they reunited for a special gathering to celebrate the growth and progress of that vision—creation of...
July 9, 2024
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We all get consumed with the demands of our professional lives. Intense board meetings. Conference calls on video. Searches for just the right talent. Who has time to break away for reflection and connection? At the second annual retreat of the Women Corporate Directors’ Chicago Chapter (WCD Chicago) in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, twenty high-achieving women...
May 29, 2024
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An astrophysicist, a nationally known consultant and author, a marketing communications specialist, and a senior strategy advisor walk into a high school. The punchline? Actually, it’s no joke: For a group of teenage girls contemplating their futures, a workshop featuring women leaders in these four roles painted a picture of the possibilities—and the mental strength...
April 24, 2024
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Dear Friends, I have good news to tell you, and—while I’d be happy to share it any day—it feels especially fitting to talk about in this season of fresh starts. In a matter of days, we’ll begin work building our new home for women’s leadership in Williams Bay, Wisconsin. It’s been quite a march to...
March 21, 2024
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Fun! We love having the world-famous Yerkes Observatory as neighbor and community partner. Einstein visited here, and brilliant astronomers like Edwin Hubble, Carl Sagan, and Nancy Grace Roman all conducted valuable research at Yerkes. It’s been rightly called “the birthplace of modern astrophysics.” Now, after three years of painstaking restoration, this landmark institution has reopened to...
March 20, 2024
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We’re very excited. After more than two years of thinking and planning by the incredible architecture and design team at Studio Gang, we’re finally close to starting work at the site. The Williams Bay Board of Trustees has approved a final set of plans that honors our vision for the Center while also reflecting modifications the Village...
March 15, 2024
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When the last glaciers retreated from North America about 10,000 years ago, they left behind not only the cold, clear waters of Geneva Lake, but also beautiful terrain that had been deeply carved. The ravine on the west side of the WLC property is a remnant of that ancient process, and one of the most...
January 22, 2024
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How do you persuade 52 super-talented and super-busy women to spend two days advising a start-up? First, assemble a fascinating cross-section of smart women. Second, convene them in a gorgeous natural setting. Third, ask for their ideas on unlocking the potential women have to help solve global problems. This was the blueprint for three energizing Women’s...
December 13, 2023
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The invitation went out in the spring. “I want you in,” it began, “on the ground floor of a project extremely close to my heart—something that, in hindsight, I’ve been working toward my entire career.” The source of the invitation was Ann Drake, former CEO of DSC Logistics. The recipients were young women from across...
December 8, 2023
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“Planning,” so the saying goes, “is bringing the future into the present so that you can do something about it now.” That was the mission given to 23 women who met on a July weekend at the site of the future Women’s Leadership Center at Williams Bay. Their task was to deeply imagine a time...
December 8, 2023
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