The mission of the Center for Women and Leadership is to improve the standing of women in business leadership positions. The center focuses on four main initiatives:

• Research on women and leadership issues and concerns
• Education on leadership issues relevant to women and their companies
• Outreach and alliances with women's leadership organizations
• Collaborations with student groups promoting women in leadership

For more information, e-mail:  womenleaders@gsm.ucdavis.edu

Activities and Programs

Research
The center focuses on research aimed at improving our understanding of the factors and processes affecting women in business leadership.  The center is currently sponsoring two research projects, with the goal of adding new projects over time. The initial research projects are:

UC Davis Study of California Women Business Leaders - In-depth annual census of women in leadership positions in the top publicly traded corporations in California. In its first year, this study attracted national and international attention and press, and has spurred interest in a wide range of future research projects and alliances based on the study data.

Center for Women and Leadership Research Grant Program provides annual grants to UC Davis faculty pursuing research on women and leadership in business settings.

Education and Forums
The center provides educational programs for women executives and UC Davis students on issues relevant to women and leadership in business settings.

Graduate School of Management's Executive Leadership Consortium - A membership network that provides Sacramento area companies with a series of educational workshops on leadership issues. For a flat annual fee, companies join the consortium and send up to eight employees to each of four workshops. The workshops are run by leading business scholars from around the world and are managed by Professor Kimberly Elsbach, director of executive education. Members include Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Genentech, Franklin-Templeton Investments, Vision Service Plan, ABD Insurance, Amdocs and the UC Davis Health Systems.

2006 California Women Business Leaders Forum - To be held November 16 in San Francisco, this forum will include the release of the annual UC Davis Study of California Women Business Leaders. The forum will bring together women business leaders from around the state for interactive workshops to identify problems confronting women in advancing to leadership positions in large corporations, as well identify a set of best practices that may be used by corporations seeking to increase their numbers of women in leadership positions. The forum will offer an annual update of these problems/solutions and best practices to attendees and will provide a source of research opportunities for scholars interested in tracking these issues empirically.  

External Outreach and Alliances
The center actively does outreach and has formed alliances with external organizations that promote the standing of women in business leadership positions. Initial alliances have been established with:

The Forum for Women Entrepreneurs and Executives - FWE&E is a California-based non-profit organization dedicated to improving the representation of women on boards of directors and top executive teams. The center is working with FEW&E to establish a network of California women business leaders to support the center's research and educational missions. FWE&E has partnered with the center to seek sponsorship funding for the annual census research and forum. In addition, FWE&E and the Graduate School of Management have formed an alliance as members of the InterOrganization Network (ION).

InterOrganization Network - ION promotes the advancement of women in business leadership positions. The network consists of eight member organizations representing different geographic regions in the U.S. (e.g., Massachusetts, Georgia, Chicago-area, Philadelphia-area). Membership in ION provides numerous benefits to the center, including: national exposure and networking opportunities for Graduate School of Management faculty interested in research topics involving women executives and board members; increased opportunities to sponsor educational and community-building workshops for women executives; and to gain corporate sponsorship and funding.

Collaborations with MBA Students
The center fosters close collaborations and interactions with student groups on the UC Davis campus that are organized around issues relevant to women and leadership in business settings. The center acts as an advisory source to the Graduate School of Management's Women in Leadership group, with the goal of interacting with a broader range of student groups over time.

Advisory Board
The center's advisory board, currently being formed, offers input and feedback on the continued mission, programs and budget of the center. University faculty, business leaders, and MBA students are actively being sought to serve on  the board, which will initially consist of three faculty members, three business leaders and one MBA student.

Charter Advisory Board members:

Sara Beckman, professor, UC Berkeley Haas School of Business; board member, Building Materials Holding Co.

Shona Brown, vice president of business operations, Google Inc.