It was a sunny, beautiful weekend in Los Angeles when college women from all around the country gathered together at the University of Southern California to connect with other WYSE branch leaders, share ideas, set goals for the new program year, and develop strategies for leadership and overall branch efficacy. AKA, it was time to kick off another National Leadership Training Conference!
What Is the National Leadership Training Conference?
The National Leadership Training Conference (NLTC) is an annual conference bringing together directors from each branch and the National Board of Directors. The weekend is organized by the National Board and is one of the training resources the National Board provides for new and incoming directors. The most valuable takeaway from any NLTC is the connections directors make with other branches that will last throughout the year, and hopefully for a lifetime.
So, what happened this year at NLTC?
Friday, June 28th
After flight arrivals on Friday, branch directors checked into USC housing and kicked off with introductions, expectations for the weekend, and learning more about WYSE's Herstory.
The WYSE National Leadership Training Conference (NLTC) is a proud tradition, and this year was extra special as WYSE alumni joined with branch to directors and celebrated the kick off at Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop on Friday evening. This WYSE Women Mix & Mingle also featured a special panel discussion with WYSE's first Executive Director and 3rd staff member from the late '90s - early '00s. Samantha and Christa discussed their backgrounds, their experiences through different career trajectories, stories of WYSE back in the day ("I remember when we had to figure out this thing called the internet!"), and the power of mentorship.
Saturday, June 29th
On Saturday, we got back to business with each director team presenting fun facts and highlights about their individual branch. Guest speaker Queena Huang from the Student Leaders Diversity Training, USC Division of Student Affairs led a presentation on Diversity, Inclusion, and Leadership. Later in the day, directors reflected on their leadership traits and utilizing the strengths of their team and of surveys to understand their impact. The day ended with a pow-wow on the importance of community action and it's role in the mission of WYSE. (You can read more about the WYSE mission here.)
Sunday, June 30th
Sunday concluded with our signature Roundtables, as branch directors got to dig deeper into different topics and share advice on challenges that all branches face. Thanks to UCLA WYSE and NYU WYSE for participating as presenters during the weekend, and providing resources for all directors to take back to their teams. Thanks to all of our directors for attending, and our National Board of Directors for the hard work it takes to bring it all together.
Check out our slideshow with more photos from NLTC weekend!
Contribute to WYSE NLTC 2020 Today
While there's still a lot to do before the WYSE program year starts, NLTC is an important transition period for incoming branch directors to engage with the WYSE National Network and prep for a successful year ahead. As a volunteer-run organization, NLTC is possible because of generous donations from our WYSE family all across the country, with registration fees covering a little less than a third of total expenses.
Help us keep this tradition alive by donating today. ♡ You can also email us at info@wyse.org if you'd like to volunteer for NLTC or stay up to date on future WYSE Women Mix & Mingles!
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