Women's Bar Association Identifies Group of Rising Stars for Special Mentoring Program

Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts

27 School Street, Suite 500, Boston, MA  02108

Ph: 617.973.6666    Fax: 617.973.6663   www.womensbar.org

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 WOMEN’S BAR ASSOCIATION IDENTIFIES GROUP OF RISING STARS FOR SPECIAL MENTORING PROGRAM

BOSTON, MA – September 10, 2015 – The Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts has kicked off  its fourth Women’s Leadership Initiative, a program that brings together senior women attorneys and up and coming stars of the legal profession for mentoring and leadership development.  The program is chaired by longtime WBA leaders Marie Chafe of Cornell & Gollub, Sherley Rodriguez of Suffolk University Law School, and Kimberly Winter of White, Freeman & Winter, LLP.

The Women’s Leadership Initiative was launched in 2009 by former WBA President Kathy Jo Cook of KJC Law Firm LLC and lead by  Michele Whitham of Foley Hoag LLP and Nancy Shilepsky of Shilepsky Hartley Robb Casey Michon LLP.  The program has always had a clear objective: to help women succeed in the legal profession. 

Following the model of successful programs in other communities, the WBA provides participants with large-scale networking, group mentoring, and one-on-one career development opportunities.  Each event leverages the experiences of accomplished women attorneys in Massachusetts interested in cultivating the next generation of women leaders.  From no-holds barred Q&A sessions to events introducing participants to leaders in the Massachusetts legal and business communities, the Women’s Leadership Initiative provides participants with opportunities to work with their role models and one another, build their networks, and further their careers. 

 Members of the 2015-2016 Women’s Leadership Initiative are:

 
Host Committee members who have committed to serve as mentors are:

WBA President Kimberly Dougherty remarked, “The WBA is thrilled to provide another group of women the opportunity to participate in the Women’s Leadership Initiative.  This program is directly aligned with our organization’s goal of advancing women in the profession.  We are grateful to Marie Chafe, Sherley Rodriguez, and Kimberly Winter, and the members of the host committee for their willingness to lead a new class and look forward to both the short and long-term success of their endeavors.”

About the Women’s Bar Association of Massachusetts

 Founded in 1978 by a group of activist women lawyers, the Women’s Bar Association boasts a large membership of women lawyers, judges, policy makers, and law students across Massachusetts.  The WBA is committed to the full and equal participation of women in the legal profession and in a just society. The WBA works to achieve this mission through committees and task forces and by developing and promoting a legislative agenda to address society’s most critical social and legal issues.  Other WBA activities include drafting amicus briefs, studying employment issues affecting women, encouraging women to enter the judiciary, recognizing the achievement of women in the law, and providing pro bono services to women in need through its sister organization, the Women’s Bar Foundation.  For more information, visit www.womensbar.org.