BY SHANIKA P. CARTER
Michigan Women Forward Continues to Create Leadership Opportunities
The Next Generation
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eadership skills, 21st century skills, a strong network and resilience—these are the four secrets to success that the state-wide organization Michigan Women Forward (MWF) has been striving to unlock for the next generation of women since its inception in 1986. With offices in Grand Rapids, Detroit, and Lansing, there are even more young women to reach and support throughout the state by giving them opportunities to excel as students, entrepreneurs, and citizens of their community. With a number of programs and initiatives developed over the past 30+ years, MWF has managed to make the dreams of many, from middle-school aged girls on up, come to fruition. “I had seen the work MWF had done and loved the direction they were taking,” Judy Welch, Executive Director, West Michigan, explained. As an entrepreneur, she wanted to help move other entrepreneurs and young women forward, which is why the Grand Rapids native took on the role offered to her by President and CEO Carolyn Cassin to join MWF and open a Grand Rapids location. Welch joined the organization in December 2013 and opened the Grand Rapids office in June 2014. Also coming from a nonprofit background, Welch has the expertise in ensuring that MWF teaches the young women of West Michigan the skills that make up the four secrets to success. These include: developing a belief in themselves by teaching self-esteem, communications, and leadership styles; developing and utilizing 21st
JUDY WELCH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF MICHIGAN WOMEN FORWARD WEST MICHIGAN. PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN HUVER
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PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEATHER PICARDAT , COURTESY OF MWF
“We have to look at the women who have been the trailblazers from the past to bring women to where they are today.” — JUDY WELCH
century skills, such as creative thinking, collaboration, working on diverse teams, analysis, decision-making, problem-solving, planning, and financial literacy, to conceptualize a business enterprise and develop and pitch ideas; building a network of peers, intergenerational mentors, and university staff; and learning how to set a compass toward a bright future and navigating through any obstacles along the way. MWF is made up of several initiatives and programs that will benefit participants of all backgrounds. With the #WomanUp Entrepreneurial Initiative, the goal is to eliminate barriers to economic and social equality by developing a scalable model across Michigan, where women can start and grow businesses and give them access to capital and a strong entrepreneurial ecosystem. This initiative serves a population of 79% low to moderate-income women and 61% of women of color, with most starting their businesses for the first time. This falls in line with
one of MWF’s overall goals of launching and growing successful businesses and qualifying them for traditional funding sources to support future growth. To date, MWF has provided $3.9M of support, 141 loans and 97 investments. Through #BehindEveryWoman, MWF identifies and assesses issues that disproportionately affect women and girls, developing a collective change agenda to ensure that social and economic equality become a reality in Michigan. In 2014, at the request of Kym Worthy, Wayne County’s elected Prosecutor, MWF accepted the challenge to raise awareness and funds to address the backlog of 11,341 rape kits in Detroit through testing, investigation, and prosecution, which continue today with the last of the kits being sent to a forensically accredited lab. As a result, the Enough SAID (Sexual Assault in Detroit) program was taken on by MWF and has raised over $2M of private sector funding and used to leverage over $10M of government support. With #UGOGirls (Unstoppable Generation of Girls), programs are created and supported to develop leadership, foster social change and empower middle and high school girls. These impactful programs focus on barrier-free opportunities for college and career, selfesteem, financial literacy and social responsibility. MWF Continued on page 20
Women’s LifeStyle Magazine • March 2020
