Women’s Leadership Institute Blog
Breaking Barriers and Creating Community Change
March 18, 2024 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD.
April Clobes, President and CEO of MSU Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU), and Margaret Dimond, Regional System President at University of Michigan Health, have announced a partnership between their organizations. The women are strong supporters of the MSU Women's Leadership Institute.
Spartan’s Will: The WLI in New York City
January 11, 2024 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
Recently, I have been reflecting on what it means to be a Spartan, and in the recent months of my thought exploration, I have never been prouder to call myself a member of this elite group.
Remembering CJ
August 30, 2023 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
It was with great sadness that we say goodbye to the Women's Leadership Institute (WLI) Emeritus Board Member Carolyn Jackson, and with great joy that we say we knew "CJ" and were touched by her life. Carolyn was a committed and passionate leader, mentor and coach to many, and an incredible Spartan.
The Power of Experiential Learning
April 27, 2023 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
This spring, the Women's Leadership Institute (WLI) created and funded a scholarship to support students endeavoring to study women's leadership through experiential learning—study away (within the US), study abroad (international), or internships.
Support and empowerment flourishes at Women’s Leadership Institute conference in Naples
March 23, 2023 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
Recently the Women's Leadership Institute (WLI) traveled south to Naples, Florida, to escape the East Lansing cold and connect with some visionary alums, discuss the institute's growth, our future goals, and the outstanding student leaders that are the heartbeat of the institute. The event came at a vulnerable time for our MSU and WLI communities. At this time in our Spartan history, more than ever, we acknowledged and embraced the importance of community and supporting one another, our students, and the campus family.
Women's History Month 2023: Celebrating milestones and continuing the fight for change
March 20, 2023 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
This month we have the opportunity to reflect and become aware. We must become aware of women's leadership-the plight, the inequity, and the need for change. Highlighting the importance of supporting women leaders begins by acknowledging the barriers that remain for women ascending to positions of leadership—lack of pay equity, lack of representation, especially diverse representation, gender stereotypes, and work-life management—but despite these obstacles, women continue to break barriers.
MSU alumna and WLI board member continues life of service as President of E.W Sparrow Hospital
February 8, 2023 - Emily Jodway
Sparrow Health Systems President and CEO James Dover announced Wednesday the hiring of Michigan State University alumna Margaret Dimond as the next President of the E.W Sparrow Hospital in Lansing.
Women’s Leadership Institute announces new Experiential Learning scholarship fund
January 24, 2023 - Emily Jodway
The Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) at Michigan State and its director, Amanda Guinot Talbot, announced a new scholarship fund gifted by a Spartan alumna and WLI executive board member. The Women’s Leadership Institute Experiential Learning Fund was created with the help of Anita Khushalani, a 1987 graduate of MSU and a member of the WLI board since 2021. This new gift was devised with experiential learning opportunities in mind, specifically study abroad, study away or internship programs that will allow students to deepen their knowledge of the critical issues surrounding women’s leadership.
Finding the Balance Between Family and Career: Ann Raider Highlights the Importance of Male Allies in Workplace Equity
January 17, 2023 - Emily Jodway
For Ann Raider, failure has never been an option. The highly successful businesswoman and mother has let passion and drive carry her through the many successes and difficulties of life, including running a multi-million-dollar company while balancing being a single mother to two young boys.
Women’s Leadership Institute Celebrates Growth in Second Year of Student Cohort Program
October 28, 2022
The Women’s Leadership Institute kicked off the beginning of the school year, and the second year of the cohort program’s existence, last month with its ‘No Club’ Book Club event with Lise Vesterlund. What was most apparent at the event, the Institute’s first in-person gathering since last spring, was the growth the group has experienced since its inception.
Welcome Back to Campus!
August 18, 2022 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
We want to extend a welcome back to our Women’s Leadership Institute supporters and are looking forward to another successful year. The WLI is excited to announce the addition of three new executive board members to our already impressive slate of women leaders, and we are looking forward to their contribution and inspiring leadership.
A WLI Board Member Reacts to the Roe v. Wade Decision
June 30, 2022 - Alejandra Loaiza Delgado
I could not concentrate at work; I could feel my heart rising and wonder to myself, "how is this possible?" I felt powerless; the Supreme Court of the United States overturned the constitutional right to an abortion that was guaranteed nearly 50 years ago by the decision in Roe v. Wade.
Pay Equity & Negotiation: Knowing Your Worth
May 2, 2022 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
It's well known that when doing the same job, women are on average paid less than men - and for women of color, this gap is even more pronounced. So, how can women advocate for ourselves and each other when it comes to negotiating pay?
Student research highlights the relationship between American identity and social contact with minoritized communities
April 7, 2022 - Liz Schondelmayer
What does it mean to be an American, how is this identity shaped and how does our identity inform our social relationships? These are all questions that graduate student Kelsey Osborne-Garth sought to answer during her time at Michigan State University through the MSU Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP).
Making a Case for Yourself
March 28, 2022 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
For many of us, making a case for ourselves in an academic and/or professional capacity can be a challenge: we want to appear authentic, yet polished; knowledgeable, yet teachable; and prepared, yet flexible - and we need to find a way to fit all of these traits and more on a one-page resume!
Working to Make a Difference with Brenda Becker
February 22, 2022 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
All of us have things we wish we could change, whether it be in our day-to-day lives or on a larger societal scale. But what we may not realize is that each of us has an innate power to make a difference - as long as we are willing to put in the work and learn as we go.
Developing a Vision
January 10, 2022 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
For many of us, 2021 will be remembered as a year defined by ambiguity and uncertainty. And as we head into yet another year with the COVID-19 pandemic, polarizing political movements, and racial and social injustice compounding on top of already-existent personal and professional pressures, it makes sense that some of us may feel lost as to how we can move ourselves and our careers forward.
Trusted Advice
December 2, 2021 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
Who is a strong figure that has inspired you? What is the best advice you have received? When you reflect on this, you may think of a person, a story, or a quote. You may think of your grandmother, a friend, a colleague, or another inspirational figure. Whoever it is, let their life or best advice encourage you.
Strength Amid Struggle
November 2, 2021 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
Struggle. It is part of life. In the last 18 months, we have all had our fair share, coping with a pandemic and so much more. It is more than halfway through the Fall 2021 semester at Michigan State University, and I am so proud of our students who embody the Spartan Spirit of resilience and strength even during the most challenging times.
Women’s History Month
March 22, 2021 - Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD and Liz Schondelmayer
This Women's History Month, the Women's Leadership Institute is celebrating all of the women who are making history by breaking barriers, igniting change and making the world a better place. One of these women we are continually inspired by is Dr. Nwando Achebe.
Celebrating Ruth Bader Ginsburg
September 24, 2020 - Christine Mason Soneral and Alejandra Loaiza Delgado
Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg used her sands of time wisely. She overcame extraordinary odds and became the second woman ever to be appointed a Supreme Court justice, where she solidified her legacy as a champion of gender and racial equity and a catalyst for social change.
Honoring Matt Hansen: He Didn’t Have To, But He Did.
September 16, 2020 - Christine Mason Soneral
What we lacked was a disciplined person to help plan and organize key meetings, assemble thoughts into substantive agendas, document important conversations and decisions, and help successfully execute program offerings. That is, until we met our first male ally Matt Hansen.
Advancing Equity for All by Exercising Our 19th Amendment Voting Rights
August 26, 2020 - Christine Mason Soneral and Nicole Carter
This year marks an important evolution in women’s ability to participate in democracy—the 100 th anniversary of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution which prohibits the states and federal government from using sex as a basis to deny citizens the right to vote. While worthy of observance, the right to vote for women did not come early, easily or equally.
5 ways higher education can be seen as hostile to women of color
July 14, 2020 - Amy Bonomi, PhD
Editor’s note: In 2019, Amy Bonomi, a women’s studies scholar, co-edited “Women Leading Change: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Cliff, and Slipper.” The book examines the perspectives of 23 female leaders on issues of leadership and the challenges of confronting structural racism, bias and discrimination at colleges and universities. Here are five takeaways that Bonomi offers from her book about how higher education can be hostile toward the women of color who serve as college and university leaders.
U.S. Supreme Court Ruling: Triumph for LGBT Rights
June 16, 2020 - Amy Bonomi, PhD and Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
The month of June marks a point of pride for Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Trans (LGBT) people and communities. The significance of June is linked to the Stonewall Riots, a series of spontaneous, violent demonstrations by the LGBT community following a police raid on June 28, 1969 of the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in New York City’s Greenwich Village. The Stonewall Riots served as the catalyst for the gay rights movement in the United States and globally.
Women’s Leadership Institute is in solidarity with Black communities
June 1, 2020 - Amy Bonomi, PhD and Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
The Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) Executive Board at Michigan State University is saddened and outraged by the continued tolerance of racism, violence and traumatization of Black people and communities of color in the United States.
Leading Through Crisis: Caring for the People You Lead
March 20, 2020 - Amy Bonomi, PhD and Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
As humans, it is common to look to leaders for guidance, stability, and reassurance. In the workplace, in places of worship, when planning for the future, in political matters.
An Equal and Enabled World: Igniting Women Leaders on International Women’s Day
March 5, 2020 - Amy Bonomi, PhD and Amanda Guinot Talbot, PhD
March 8, 2020 is International Women’s Day! This year’s theme is #Each for Equal -- meaning an equal world is an enabled world.