Bringing Women Together
Long-time business and professional group promotes workplace rights
Women of all ages gathered on a Saturday morning in mid-February at the Tundra Lodge Resort in Green Bay for the annual Business and Professional Women Winter Development Conference. About 40 BPW members from Green Bay, De Pere and throughout Wisconsin attended the meeting, plus another 20 who registered for the special event.
“There are three things that brought women to the conference: the programming, to build on the camaraderie and friendships that people have made throughout the state, and the fact that everyone wants to know what are we doing as an organization,” says Doris Yelk-Wilberg, president of the local chapter.
State Sen. Dave Hansen expressed support for the group’s goals of equal opportunity, equal pay and fairness for women in the workplace. The organization’s mission: to achieve equity for all women in the workplace through advocacy, education and information.
“BPW strives to help women personally, professionally and politically,” says Yelk-Wilberg.
These philosophies were incorporated into the day’s conference schedule. A career coach advised that past contributions in the workplace – not the years of experience – will be most valuable for women when they transition into a new career. Another speaker discussed how to help empower young women.
Over lunch, motivational speaker Mike Deiters brought humor to the table as he shared strategies on how women can reinvent themselves in their next career. A two-hour business meeting concluded the day.
The national BPW was founded in 1919 as a multi-generational, nonpartisan organization; it was established as the first organization to focus on issues of working women. The Green Bay-De Pere chapter has been in operation for nearly 85 years. A typical monthly meeting includes a speaker, networking and dinner.
“The one thing that we do that we feel is rather unique about our organization is we really look for women in all levels of business to be in the organization, from entry level to top executives,” says Yelk-Wilberg. “We really want a cross training of women in different sectors and different levels of their careers so we can do things such as mentoring and networking with each other.”
BPW has been building awareness one woman at a time. “It is the personal touch that helps bring, and keep, new people coming to the events,” Yelk-Wilberg says.
