Women and Leadership in International Education – ENGAGE, EMPOWER, ADVANCE!
By Chasity Drew, Jennifer Fullick, and Angela Miller
NAFSA’s member interest group: Women and Leadership in International Education (WLIE) has gained over one thousand members as it hits its five-year anniversary! What was the impetus for starting this MIG, and what do we envision in the future?
As leaders of this MIG, our goal is to ensure this member group continues its journey to realize its core mission: to engage, empower and advance women in the field of international education. Started by Dr, Mindy Hansen, we continue this same mission in its fifth year to empower women to advance and achieve gender parity and diversity in International Education leadership.
Why we are particularly proud of this community is that the objectives are self-evident: This MIG provides research, advocacy, career advising, mentorship, professional development, and networking opportunities to all members. Going forward, our goals are to continue to empower allies to advocate for the advancement of women and promote diversity and gender parity in international education leadership. In the future, we’d like to continue to see more research in this area and further opportunities for collaboration and mentorship.
We find inspiration and hope in engaging and collaborating with our colleagues. During the pandemic, as noted by Diversity Abroad, women disproportionately over men made job sacrifices. This has a direct impact on women’s trajectory towards leadership positions. As a group committed to leadership engagement, we must pivot and make our events and content relevant. Let’s talk practical, yet inspirational.
Our hope is that our roster of events planned for this year for both International Women’s Day on March 8, as well as our upcoming MIG events, will do just that: engage and inspire in a relevant and contextual way.
Engage. Empower. Advance.
As we look towards the future, women in international education have an opportunity to support each other as we continue to grow in leadership. It’s each of these day-to-day interactions, discussions, and embracing our milestones that matter. Join us at our next event, check out articles we post, be active in your own next step towards leadership: we need your diverse voice now more than ever.
Chasity Drew is the Associate Director of International Student and Scholar Services at East Tennessee State University, and the Marketing and Outreach Coordinator of the NAFSA Women and Leadership in International Education Member Interest Group
Jennifer Fullick, Ph.D., is Senior Director of Global Engagement at TCS Education System, a nonprofit system of colleges advancing student success and community impact. (www.tcsedsystem.edu), and Co-chair of the NAFSA Women and Leadership in International Education Member Interest Group
Angela Miller, Ed.D., is the Director of Academic Programs Abroad at Louisiana State University, and Co-chair of the NAFSA Women and Leadership in International Education Member Interest Group