What’s possible when women working at the leading edge of business and science, technology and education, social impact, the arts, and more come together to share their expertise with each other?
That the was idea the Women’s Leadership Center explored with an extraordinary convening called “Secrets of the Universe.” The gathering was dedicated to helping women “lead boldly and expand their impact,” said Ann Drake in her opening remarks, so that they leave with “a new perspective, a new partnership, or perhaps an entirely new sense of what they can accomplish.”
“Secrets of the Universe” brought together nearly 80 women representing a wide array of professions for a day—and night—of consequential conversations. Attendees attended fast-moving workshops on topics ranging from the future of water management to legal battles over data centers to improv technique as a leadership technique to the backstory of building the Obama Presidential Center. Then, over dinner, they heard an astronaut—Cady Coleman—and an astrophysicist—Dr. Amanda Bauer—share personal stories from their own journeys and explore what looking beyond our planet can teach us about tackling complex challenges on Earth.
Bringing together a diverse collection of viewpoints and wisdom was exactly the point of “Secrets.” The Center was built to be a place where women from different backgrounds, with different gifts, intersect to solve problems together. It is at such intersections—“where the rocket scientist meets the rocket rider,” as the saying goes—that innovation can spark, we believe. Out of such moments can come insights that can lead to a better world for all.
The day ended with dessert and dancing under the stars, plus the extraordinary phenomenon of a near-total lunar eclipse over Geneva Lake.
“The beauty and intentionality of the Center are remarkable, but what has stayed with me most is what happened by being in that space, surrounded by such an extraordinary group of women,” wrote one attendee. “I was surrounded by women who had themselves taken meaningful leaps, so that I could see an idea I have carried for years—and perhaps myself—at a completely different scale.”
