Colorado is gearing up for its second year of hosting the Women Inspiring Leadership Development (WILD) Summit. The Women's Council's WILD Summit, to be held on April 4th in Westminister, CO, will delve into the trends that are driving tomorrow's business opportunities through the theme of "The Real Story." Stories have the ability to entertain, educate and inspire students and professionals alike to continue to learn and grow, regardless of age, position or industry. During this inspirational forum, professionals from different industries and at different places in their career share their experiences, challenges, successes and wisdom. It will foster an environment of learning about today's realities for women leaders and allow participants to gain insights into key trends shaping the future of five rapidly evolving industries in which women are leading the charge for change.
Inspiration for the conference came out of the Women's Council of Colorado University's Deming Center For Entrepreneurship where issues about women in tech and leadership roles are discussed on a daily basis. The WILD Summit gives a stage to women in key business roles who share their expertise and stories about fundraising, expanding into international markets, fostering culture and purposeful leadership.
The sessions and panels showcase the work of over 20 women business leaders, including Khalida Brohi, the closing motivational speaker. Brohi is a social entrepreneur and the Founder and Executive Director of the Sughar Empowerment Society, a non profit social enterprise in Pakistan dedicated towards providing tribal and rural women opportunities to grow their skills as well as learn leadership skills in an environment of growth and development. At the age of 24, Khalida is a dedicated entrepreneur and winner of the Young Champion Award by University of Singapore, an Unreasonable Institute Fellow and the winner of the fellowship award by YouthActionNet®.
Khalida has been named among NewsWeeks 25 under 25 Women of Impact as well NewsWeeks list of 100 Women Who Matter in Pakistan, Awarded Woman of Impact Award by Women in the World Foundation and various other awards for her young leadership and determination.
"The topics that will be shared are ones that cross many boundaries and appeal to a broad range of interests -- because they affect each one of us every day," said Cindy Carrillo, event chair for the WILD Summit II. "We are excited to bring all these wonderful knowledge experts together to share their wisdom, kick-start meaningful dialogues and make these sessions of great value to our attendees."
In additional to providing a resource for women already in business, the event targets students and young women looking for leadership, mentoring, inspiration and networking with top professional women leaders across the country.
"Being involved in the planning of the WILD Summit has by far been the most meaningful networking opportunity I've encountered while studying for my MBA," said Leslie Small, CU MBA candidate. "The women I've met through the WILD Summit have really gone out of their way to support me and I know it will be an important connection throughout my career."
The first WILD Summit held in 2013 sold out at its inaugural conference and organizers expect to fill up this year as well.