San Diego – Faculty at Alliant International University have joined forces with top female business executives and policymakers to launch the Center for Innovation in Women Leadership (CiWL), an initiative focused on collaboration, professional development and entrepreneurial success for women. Under the leadership of founding director Dr. Louise Kelly, professor of strategy at the California School of Management & Leadership, the CiWL aims to promote and enhance female leadership in organizations worldwide.
Dr. Kelly says that one of the center’s first goals is to build relationships with industry partners to provide mentoring and professional development opportunities to emerging women leaders.
The CiWL is establishing a global network of women leaders partnering with companies, education institutions and non-profit organizations. Current partners include the strategy advisory firm Global Targeting, the consulting and education company VentureQuest, and the Asian Heritage Society. The CiWL is also collaborating with Alliant’s Ph.D. Leadership program to conduct research on mindfulness and business leadership, focusing on the negative constraints of gender roles in the workplace and beyond.
The center offers coaching and e-coaching for aspiring women leaders in leadership skills public speaking, time management, cultural competencies and office power dynamics. It will also provide organizational-level assessments to evaluate the effectiveness of corporate mentoring programs and the organizational climate for women leaders.
“The opening of the Center marks a breakthrough moment in the advancement and empowerment of women leaders,” said Dr. Kelly, who also serves as the center’s board chair. “Our goal is to create a world where women’s and men’s leadership models are equally valued, and we are thrilled to have the resources to work toward that goal.”
CiWL Board member Sylvia Acevedo, who has served as an executive at Apple and Dell and who currently is on the White House Initiative for Educational Excellence for Hispanics, also expressed enthusiasm for the Center’s mission. “It is an honor and a pleasure to be part of this institution’s growth and development,” she said. “With the support of Alliant’s international network of universities, the CiWL has the potential to create a thriving community of women leaders across the globe.”
About Alliant International University
Alliant International University is a global institution of higher education with graduate and undergraduate programs spanning psychology and mental health, education, business and management, criminology and law. Alliant focuses on preparing students for professional careers of service and leadership, with more than one million hours of community service performed by our students each year. Alliant is recognized as one of the leading U.S. universities in diversity and minority education by INSIGHT into Diversity and Diverse: Issues in Higher Education magazines and as a military-friendly school by Military Advanced Education Magazine and Victory Media. Degree programs are available in six California cities: Fresno, Irvine, Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco; in three international capitals: Mexico City, Hong Kong and Tokyo; and online. Alliant is a private university accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and by other specialized and international accreditors. For more information visit www.alliant.edu.
