Friday marked the first-ever women’s leadership conference at Canisius University. The event featured a sold-out audience of community members, alums and students listening to some of the most notable women to graduate from the university over the years.
Former Rich’s Chief Ethics and Compliance Officer Jill Bond says her biggest regret is that more women haven’t broken through to the upper levels of the business world.
“I recently retired, and I was at Rich's for 35 years, and ... it's still hard," she said. "The executive team doesn't look like our associate base. So hopefully this next generation of women will be able to accomplish what I wasn't able during my career.
The event kicked off with an appearance from keynote speaker Keia Clarke, current CEO of the WNBA's New York Liberty and former member of the Canisius women's basketball team.
That was followed by a panel discussion between Bond and four others about topics like challenges in the workplace and their journeys to Canisius.
Another of the panelists was Caroline Croen, CFO of New York City’s WNET public media group. She said one of the most important lessons from her time at Canisius was using technical skills like playing violin to learn "soft skills" and build self-confidence.
“Technical skills can be had, expertise can be had. But it's that piece of pause, confidence, eye contact, that comes with experience," she said. "And I must say, that musician in me helped. I hid behind the violin. It helped me build my confidence, and then I could put the instrument aside and know that I could still stand, and make a difference."
The event drives home the importance of women helping to lift each other up and achieve greater heights, graduate assistant Tiare Baird said.
“It's very interesting to see that I will now be a part of it when I graduate in May, and seeing so many alumni came back to campus for this great event that's been put on," she said. "And seeing the different generations of women interact together is also very important.”
Planning is underway for future summits and that the next evolution is expanding breakout sessions after the panel to include virtual alumnae, Canisius Vice President of Advancement Dianna Civello said.
