Institute Overview v. 2

Empowering women leaders and their allies to foster gender parity, equity, and cultures of inclusion

Building Cultures of Inclusion

The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership is a global authority on leadership, gender equity, and inclusion. We offer individuals and organizations game-changing programming necessary for equity in leadership focused on leading more inclusively, stepping up as allies, and developing women leaders.

Our vision is to manifest equity in leadership in our lifetime, with a mission to develop the mindset and skills of leaders at all stages of life so they can foster gender parity and cultures of inclusion.

We design, build, and deliver innovative, researchdriven programming — both online and in person — that can be customized for any organization, no matter the size or industry.

“We envision a world where women aren’t just 50% of the world’s population, they are 50% of the world’s leaders.”

Susan MacKenty Brady CEO, Institute for Inclusive Leadership

The Simmons Leadership Conference

The Simmons Leadership Conference (SLC) is one of the longest-running and most-respected women’s conferences in the world, with over 120K attendees in its 45-year history.  We bring together an international group of more than 7,500 professional women and allies who want to better themselves, their workplaces, and the world. We gather for a high-impact day of learning, wisdom, and inspiration.

The annual Simmons Leadership Conference is the largest one-day fundraiser for Simmons University. The proceeds from the event support student scholarships and other strategic priorities.

45 years running 120K+ conference alumni

97% plan to attend again

“The Simmons Leadership Conference 2023 was nothing short of phenomenal.”

— Saidah Grayson Dill, 2023 Conference attendee

“What an experience! Interacting with such powerhouses and women of impact first-hand was an experience I will never forget.”

— Fatima Hassan, Senior Product Manager, HPE

INSPIRING SPEAKERS & THOUGHT-PROVOKING PANELS

Keynotes and skill-building sessions by globally renowned leaders + discussions about inclusive leadership in the workplace.

NETWORKING ACROSS HYBRID AUDIENCE

Engage with ALL attendees to maximize networking and connection with peers from around the world.

ENGAGEMENT WITH FLEXIBILITY

In-person and online options for maximum flexibility.

VIRTUAL EXHIBITORS

Make direct connections with our sponsor organizations in their live interactive virtual booths.

MARLEEMATLIN

“I absolutely love that it was a hybrid experience. Due to the excellent technology set-up that was provided, my virtual experience was flawless. It was as if I was there in person! Having a choice to attend in person or virtual was fantastic!”

Hear from sponsors who invest in women year after year.

— Latsamy Visetsin Manager of Inclusion & Diversity, The TJX Companies, Inc.

Memorable moments from SLC 2023.

Strategic Leadership Accelerator Certificate Program for Women

Accelerate your career.

Manage the overwhelm of stress and triggers.

Navigate the complexities of gender and other social identities.

Negotiate more effectively.

Build a strategic network.

Our impactful research-based program — informed by current workforce trends — provides women with the tools, critical skills, and strategies to accelerate their career, tackle challenges faced by women professionals, and lead with confidence and intention.

Program Goal

Career Advancement

Audience All career levels

Faculty Experts in the field with deep understanding of women and leadership

Executive Coaching Two 1:1 sessions

Format 8 live online sessions

Credential Simmons University Certificate

“The Strategic Leadership Accelerator Certificate Program fundamentally changed the way I think about leadership presence and practice. The combination of programming content, peer interaction, and networking opportunities delivered an experience unlike any program I have attended. I firmly believe that completing this program contributed to my promotion into a senior strategy role.”

— Michele Hentges, Cisco Systems, Global Strategy and Planning

Leading with Impact Certificate Program for Women

Spend more time thriving and less time surviving.

Cultivate your best, most authentic self.

Up-level your courage.

Leverage your hard-won resilience.

Create healthy team environments.

To create a positive impact as a leader, what really matters is how to care for and return to your best self, the vision you set, the teams you build, the way you bounce forward from setbacks, and the impact you make on your colleagues, your organization, and the world. This certificate course builds on the wisdom of the best-selling book, Arrive and Thrive: 7 Impactful Practices for Women Navigating Leadership, and is designed for women who want honest conversations and practical advice on how to truly thrive in leadership and help others do so too.

Program Goal

Increase your positive impact as a leader and help others do the same

Audience Senior leaders and people managers

Faculty Experts in the field with deep understanding of women and leadership

Executive Coaching 2 small group sessions

Format 7 live online sessions

Credential Simmons University Certificate

“The world needs more women to lead – and lead big. Our work culture encourages women to assume positions of leadership, yet too many organizations fail to provide them the skills to thrive once there. We developed this program to give women the tools to thrive as they realize their leadership impact.”

– Susan MacKenty Brady CEO, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

Inclusive Leadership in Action Certificate Program

for Allies

Create a workspace that truly works for everyone.

Incorporate inclusive behaviors into your leadership.

Move beyond bias awareness to operate from your best self.

Ignite belonging and effectively advocate to support others.

Leverage relationship capital for equity.

Based on the Work of the Inclusive Leader™, this program provides leaders the tools to incorporate inclusive behaviors into their organization, increases leaders’ effectiveness and impact, and helps them empower their team members to bring their best to their work.

Program Goal

Incorporate inclusive behaviors into your organization

Audience Leaders and people managers

Faculty Experts in the field with deep understanding of inclusion and belonging

Executive Coaching customizable

Format customizable

Credential Simmons University Certificate

“I found the program to be a great addition to my professional development plan. I was so happy with the diversity of participants and the skill and talent of the facilitators.”

— Jill Parker, Senior Director, Capital One Trade Operations

Custom Learning Journeys

Tailored Leadership Programs

We partner with organizations to build proven, resultsdriven custom learning journeys tailored to industryspecific leadership challenges and issues.

We offer a wide range of evidence-based learning modules that are delivered by leadership experts and powered by the latest research. We combine the power of our proprietary content, program architecture, and delivery expertise to craft the best solution for any organization.

Partnering and sponsoring companies

“This program knocked my socks off. I feel like my company has really invested in me. I can’t wait to use what I learned.”

— Client Attendee, Tech Industry

Thought Leadership

Our experts in leadership, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging have created a vast library of Research and Insights that ignite positive action and empower women to realize their leadership potential.

BROWSE our collection of research, white papers, guides, and books covering inclusive leadership, equity, allyship, and belonging.

FOLLOW the Better Understanding podcast and hear executives discuss how inclusion can be applied into everyday action.

READ practical and topical blog posts from our experts about supporting women as they navigate the leadership journey and how allies can mentor them along the way.

WATCH webinars, videos, and recordings featuring insights from the Institute’s thought leaders.

Thought Leader Keynotes

Our experts advise teams on how to work together effectively to create cultures of inclusion and increase gender parity in their organizations. We are passionate about working with leaders at all levels, including allies, to move the needle on gender equity. In-person and virtual keynote address options. Learn more.

Founded in Allyship, Inclusion, and Innovation

Strategic Advisory Board

Members of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership Strategic Advisory Board share the deep desire to foster equity, inclusion, and gender parity in organizational leadership in our lifetime. This is no less than a global dream team of change-makers, and the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership is deeply grateful and proud to be the catalyst that unites the members.

CLAIR BRODY Director, Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Warner Bros. Discovery

TRACY FAGAN Senior Vice President, PMO Natixis

APRIL EVANS Partner, Chief Financial Officer & Chief Compliance Officer, Monitor Clipper Partners

SHANDA HINTON Chief Diversity Officer, RTX

KIM CERDA Organizational Change, Culture & Engagement Lead, Hudson Lake

PAUL FRANCISCO Chief Diversity Officer, State Street

PETER CHURCH Chief People Officer, Point32Health

DAWN FRAZIER-BOHNERT EVP, Global DE&I Officer, Liberty Mutual Insurance

MILLETTE GRANVILLE Vice President of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, 2U

KIMBERLY COCKRELL Chief Human Resources Officer, Toyota Motor North America

SUSAN ESPER Audit & Assurance Partner, Deloitte

SONYA JACOBS

Chief Organizational Learning Officer, University of Michigan

STUART KLIMAN

Partner & Head of the Center of Excellence, Building Industry Partners

SUZANNE LEONARD

Professor of Literature and Writing and Program Director of the MA in Gender and Cultural Studies, Simmons University Authority (WMATA)

DEVENDRA MALLADI

Vice President, Cisco+ Portfolio Management, Cisco

GREG MORLEY

Global Head of Diversity & Inclusion Moët Hennessy

Chairman

COLLEEN RICHARDS POWELL

Chief Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Officer, American Tower

DR. SHEILA ROBINSON

Founder, Publisher & CEO, Diversity Woman Media

MARGARET RUVOLDT

Co-Founder Eve Was Framed and Interim CHRO Open Education

DARLENE SLAUGHTER

VP, Chief Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer at the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA)

LORI SPICER ROBERTSON

VP, Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Officer, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

STEPHANIE TURNER

Vice President, Inclusion, Diversity, and Social Innovation, Mitre

VALERIE L. WARD, MD, MPH

Sr. VP and Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer at Boston Children’s Hospital, Director of Sandra L. Fenwick Institute for Pediatric Health Equity and Inclusion

KAREN WETHERHOLT

Global Head of Talent, Illumina

SUSAN MACKENTY BRADY

CEO, Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

DR. LYNN PERRY WOOTEN President, Simmons University

REGINA PISA

Emeritus & Partner, Goodwin

BOARD CHAIRS

inclusiveleadership.com

leadershipinstitute@simmons.edu

Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership

300 The Fenway | Boston, MA 02115-5820

Simmons University was founded in 1899 for one reason: to support women as they develop financial independence. In addition to our rich history in fostering equity for women, the work of understanding inclusion is also foundational for the Institute for Inclusive Leadership.

Simmons was founded by male ally and upstander John Simmons well before the words “ally” or “upstander” were in common use. The work that Simmons faculty and administrative leadership has fostered over the 125 years has played a significant role in setting the stage for women’s leadership efforts in the world today.

• Simmons is home to 1,750 undergraduates students and 4,500 graduate students

• The undergraduate school is a four-year, private, non-profit, non-sectarian university