Flora Stone Mather Center For Women

Women Staff Leadership Development Initiative (WSLDI)

Women Staff Leadership Development Initiative Faculty:
Lisa Chiu, Director, Director of Communications, College of Arts and Sciences
Denise Douglas, Associate Dean, Graduate Studies
Kathleen Dowdell, Administrator, Department of Anthropology
Adrienne Dziak, Associate Vice President, Government and Community Relations
Dorothy Miller, Director, Flora Stone Mather Center for Women
Wendy Shapiro, Director, Institutional Technology and Academic Computing

Women Staff Leadership Development Initiative (WSLDI)
Rationale for Program

Download the materials and Application Form

Program Description
The Case Western Reserve University Women’s Leadership Development Initiative (WSLDI) is a program offering women professional staff an opportunity to enhance and energize leadership and career development skills through education, coaching, and the building of professional networks.  The purpose of WSLDI is to provide a university resource and support system for professional staff seeking to further their personal and professional career development. The Initiative is meant to complement the staff development offerings already provided by Human Resources.

WSLDI is a year-long program that begins with a general orientation session and combines two formal professional development workshops from the Weatherhead School of Management with three small group sessions focusing on leadership, negotiation and career planning, plus two sessions with a professional executive coach using 360-degree feedback. The program requires an assignment that must be completed prior to the Orientation session.  Enrollment is limited to 12 women. 

Importance of Initiative

1. This program would help to fulfill the university’s strategic plan by promoting a seamless context of excellence and leadership in a collaborative atmosphere. The CWRU draft strategic plan calls for “highly collaborative and collegial functioning in an atmosphere characterized by support, mentoring, and inclusion.” It also includes a focus on “distinctive opportunities for learning and discovery – both formal and informal” and the maximization of “student interactions with faculty and staff members.” All of these goals would be enhanced with the development of improved leadership skills for women professional staff across the campus.

2. Specifically, the program would increase the numbers of women staff members with skills that enable better communication, more collaboration, and the development of trust across university units, which would create a synergy that promotes the university’s best practices.

3. With the implementation of such a program, the university would be better able to retain talented staff and maximize use of their skills in vital positions of responsibility.

4. Efficiency and concomitant cost savings resulting from this program would benefit the university.

5. The program would help to position the university as a leader in higher education, promoting diversity and leadership development, as well as cultivating a vibrant intellectual atmosphere.