HIGHER DENVER
Elevating women in higher education to new levels of personal and professional success
July 30, 2019 | Denver, CO
— AT CAPACITY —
››››› 2019 ‹‹‹‹‹
By Wisr
WHAT IS HIGHER?
HIGHER is a series of free professional development summits designed to equip women in higher education administration with the tools, relationships, and confidence to thrive personally and professionally. These one-day experiences take a step towards diversifying leadership in higher education.
While women tend to find equal representation in lower-level managerial roles, top positions in higher education leadership fail to represent the movement toward a more diverse and inclusive future. It's time for that to change.
Presidents at US colleges and universities
All women (30%)
Women of color (5%)
Men (70%)
The opening workshop will have you reflecting on key themes, turning points, and people in your career. After discovering what those experiences reveal about your values, a partner exercise will help you reimagine how you can be your best self at work, at home, and everywhere in between.
Hear from women who hold senior leadership positions about their personal journeys. What did they wish they'd known at key milestones in their careers? What advice would they give to their younger selves? Learn how these outstanding women overcame barriers to reach where they are today.
After uncovering the biggest barriers women face, this interactive session will empower each attendee to design a plan for reaching their next major goal, whether it's an individual career ambition or a program for creating change on campus.
WHAT PAST ATTENDEES HAVE TO SAY
"I can't believe this was free. Well organized, thoughtful structure. So many opportunities to engage and hear from one another."
"Overall very enlightening and empowering. Great atmosphere. Beautiful place and easily accessible. Also, this being free is insane and amazing. Why wouldn't someone want to come?"
"Perfectly organized, well-thought out activities, opportunities for networking, and inspiring conversation. Thank you for this great opportunity!"
"Great opportunity to meet other women in higher ed and network and problem solve. Thank you."
"I was truly impressed with this summit and I will encourage all women in higher ed to attend!"
"It was so inspiring to be among fellow women in higher education who have faced some of the same issues I am facing and learning from them."
"This opportunity allowed me to connect with other people who share some of my identities to talk about important issues that affect us and that is so important for us all to do!"
SPEAKERS & LOGISTICS
Kelly Long
Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs at Colorado State University
Dr. Kelly Long is the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs. In that role she provides institutional leadership regarding processes and initiatives involving undergraduate education. As VPUA she collaborates with individuals and groups across campus on matters involving curriculum, student success, advising, teaching and learning, diversity and inclusion, admission and access. Dr. Long joined the Department of History in 1998 and later served as Associate Dean for Undergraduate Studies in the College of Liberal Arts. Kelly taught high school in the Poudre School District for many years and has been actively involved in pre- and in-service educator development and curricular design. Her research and publication involves US-Asian relations, history education, and the Scholarship on Teaching and Learning. Dr. Long received her bachelor's degree at Colorado State University and her Ph.D. at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Kathy Nesbitt
Vice President of Administration at University of Colorado
Kathy Nesbitt joined the University of Colorado in January 2015 as vice president of administration. She is responsible for a wide range of services, including payroll for CU employees, employment policy, compliance education, leadership and organizational development, benefits design, information security and enterprise technology systems, and employee data management and metrics. She is also responsible for the CU health plans offered through the University of Colorado Health and Welfare Trust.
Nesbitt came to CU after serving Gov. John Hickenlooper as director of personnel for the state of Colorado and executive director of the Department of Personnel & Administration since January 2011. In that role, she was responsible for the efficient and effective management of five divisions: Human Resources; Central Services, including the fleet, printing operations, mail delivery and document scanning; Finance and Procurement; the State Controller's Office; and Administrative Courts. She oversaw statewide programs, including the State Architect's Office, State Archives and the Colorado State Employee Assistance Program.
While serving the state, Nesbitt developed and passed a statewide ballot initiative that updated the state's 92-year-old personnel system. She oversaw the state's $8 billion in annual procurement spending; secured funding for and implemented the replacement of the state's 23-year-old financial reporting system, which processes $29 billion in expenditure transactions annually; and implemented process improvements in the state's tax document processing systems.
Nesbitt has spent the majority of her career as a labor and employment attorney, and possesses her Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Southern University Law Center and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Colorado Boulder.
She is happily married and the mother of two young boys.
Kate Volzer
Co-Founder & CEO at Wisr
As a former first-generation college student, Kate is extremely passionate about improving educational outcomes for college students across the country. After working in Admissions and Career Services for the University of Chicago, Kate became interested in how technology can be used to support student outcomes. She returned to Northeast Ohio as VP of Business Development at DecisionDesk before founding Wisr in 2016. Wisr improves student and alumni engagement outcomes by facilitating alumni- to-student coaching and alumni-to-alumni career networking. In 2017 Wisr was recognized as most innovative education solution by Global Silicon Valley & Arizona State University.
Kate is heavily involved in Cleveland's entrepreneurial community as the Chair of the JumpStart Leader's Council. She has been recognized by WYCA Cleveland as a Distinguished Young Woman and Crain's Cleveland as a Notable Woman in Entrepreneurship. Kate was a captain of the varsity volleyball team at the University of Chicago, where she received her BA and MBA. She was born and raised in Hartville, OH, and now resides in Rocky River. When she's not working on building Wisr, Kate is probably spending time on Lake Erie, playing with her dog, or enjoying good conversation over a glass of wine.
Anna Moloney
Director of Marketing at Wisr
As Wisr's Director of Marketing, Anna oversees the company's digital and in-person marketing strategy. This includes programming design and coordination of the HIGHER summit series and Wisr Academy learning hub.
Prior to joining Wisr, Anna worked in Deloitte Consulting's Human Capital practice. In her work as a human capital consultant, Anna focused on guiding her Fortune 500 clients - and their people - through transformational change. Whether managing enterprise communications, redesigning organizational structures, or developing culture and engagement workshops, her priority has always been to create space for people to be their best at work.
Date, Time, & Location
The summit will take place on July 30, 2019 from 8:30 AM to 4:00 PM in Denver, CO. We'll gather at the Serendipity Labs coworking space near the Denver Tech Center.
Materials & Meals
We provide all the materials you'll need in addition to a light breakfast, a catered luncheon, and an afternoon snack. Gluten free, vegetarian, and vegan options will be available.
The agendas for HIGHER summits vary to accommodate the special programming unique to each, but most follow the same general format:
8:30 AM — Check in
9:00 AM — Welcome and kickoff
9:30 AM— REFLECT Workshop: gain insights and map your future development through a personal inventory of your defining experiences
11:00 AM — Break
11:15 AM — INSPIRE Speaker Session: learn what senior leaders wish they'd known at key milestones in their careers
12:00 PM — Lunch and networking
12:45 PM — Introduction to resources
1:00 PM — INSPIRE Speaker Session: learn what senior leaders wish they'd known at key milestones in their careers
1:45 PM — Break
2:00 PM — ACT Workshop: identify solutions for the top challenges facing women in higher ed through an interactive workshop
3:20 PM — ACT Workshop: design an action plan for reaching your next big career goal
3:50 PM — Resources and feedback
4:00 PM — Closing remarks
Who is HIGHER for? ▾
This is an event for ambitious leaders, aspiring bosses, and community-builders. We welcome women in faculty and staff positions across all departments to join us. Due to high demand, we can only offer seats to women who are currently employed at an institution of higher learning. HIGHER attendees represent a variety of higher education institutions, including liberal arts colleges, research institutions, community colleges, and everything in between.
Can I invite my colleagues? ▾
Yes! In fact, several leaders at a past summit used the event as an opportunity to reconnect with and invite peers they'd met at previous conferences, bond with new team members, and strengthen relationships with leaders across their campuses. To ensure you get the most out of the day, we recommend that your team's VP or Director joins for the day. Anyone who wishes to attend is required to register.
Can I attend HIGHER more than once? ▾
Our goal is to reach as many women in higher education as possible to support them in reaching their professional goals. To help us do that, we ask that if you'd like to attend again, you bring a colleague or peer at another institution who has not attended before.
Will this feel like another big box conference? ▾
Absolutely not. We believe that the most impactful development experiences come when you have the chance to build relationships with everyone in the room, talk candidly about the challenges that are keeping you up at night, and brainstorm solutions together. You can't do that if there are 500 people in the room. Each HIGHER summit is intentionally capped at 50 attendees to allow for that close-knit, collaborative environment.
How much does it cost to attend? ▾
We believe that women benefit greatly from coming together to share their experiences and lessons. To make HIGHER as accessible as possible, attendance is free for all registrants. Your registration includes programming, resources, and meals for the day.
What motivated Wisr to launch HIGHER? ▾
As a (female-led) company, Wisr spent a lot of time reflecting on the state of higher education leadership. Based on our interactions while bringing Wisr to market, higher ed isn't reflecting the kind of diverse and inclusive future the world aspires to have. In our work, we consistently see equal representation of women in individual contributor or lower-level managerial roles, but more senior leadership positions often don't reflect that diversity. Women in higher ed administration are facing barriers to rising the ranks in their institutions, and we wanted to do something about it.
Can you deliver HIGHER specifically for women at my institution? ▾
Yes! We offer HIGHER to institutions interested in a private professional development for their female faculty and staff. If you're interested in learning more about this offering, email Kate Volzer.
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