We know that all of you are indirectly or directly impacted by the COVID19 pandemic, and we send you our caring thoughts and best wishes. We hope that you and your loved ones are safe, healthy and managing to keep your spirits up.

We were fortunate to get the GMLC Session One underway the first week of March with a fabulous program for our Class of 2020 Challengers. They are an exceptional and resilient group of leaders from across the region. It was a painful but necessary decision to cancel the in-person 2nd Session that was scheduled for June in Kansas City with so much uncertainty before us.

Thanks to the work of our Regional Planning Team, there is a desire to keep this deferred Kansas City session going with a truncated version of the experience. Putting a full session on-line while trying to capture the magic of place and connection is a challenge. So, we aren’t going to do that. We hope to provide just enough narrative padding to provide context. We are researching options for virtual programming where we’ll dig into how recent developments have impacted our lives, our businesses, and our livelihoods, and examine how best to move forward in this new landscape.

We also offered our Class of 2020 Challengers the opportunity to participate in a special webinar featuring Dr. Sandra Magnus, a graduate from the University of Missouri Science & Technology and a former Atlantis Astronaut for an educational and inspiring webinar. This woman really knows what social distancing is all about! You can see the replayed version of the discussion here. This touchpoint for the class would not have been something we considered in the recent past. It was appreciated by the class participants so much so that we are looking at other touchpoint opportunities to continue your leadership development journey whether you graduated last year or 25 years ago!

This week many are reviewing multiple strategies for responsible re-entry to the workplace. Noting this, we are holding firm to our plans for Session 3 in Kirksville in September and for Session 4 in St. Louis in November. We have also opened applications for the Class of 2021 and welcome your nominations for our consideration. You can nominate a special woman here. Also, if you are interested in helping the planning teams for these sessions please email me. 

The Board of Directors will be meeting later this month to make a “go/no go” decision regarding the Alumnae Conference and the Woman of the Year Fundraising Luncheon currently scheduled for July in Springfield. Be watching as those decisions are made.

In the meantime, thank you for your involvement with our organization. You are Greater Missouri Women. We are all in this together. Please stay safe. Be well. And let me know if there’s anything I can do to help you through these difficult and changing times.