Shangai Women's Federation Leaders Hone Skills at Vinson Institute
A recent three-week executive leadership training program may mark the beginning of a long-term partnership between the Shanghai Women's Federation and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.
Twenty mid-career managers from the federation, a quasi-governmental women's advisory organization, recently completed an educational trip to Georgia, Washington, D.C., and New York City arranged by the Institute's International Center.
"This is our very first time to work with the Shanghai Women's Federation," said Fei Zhang, program coordinator for the International Center.
The Shanghai Women's Federation leadership skills program, on the theme Training and Management of Women Talents, has its roots in another International Center program, the three-year-old Shanghai Executive Training Group. One of the interns in last year's executive training cohort, Yolanda Li, is a manager in the Shanghai Women's Federation and helped initiate this year's federation visit.
Management training topics included "Women, Gender, and Equality in America" and featured first-hand accounts about career choices and gender obstacles in the United States from leaders such as Athens-Clarke County Mayor Nancy Denson — the first woman elected to Athens city government — and two of her daughters, both of whom entered public service. Also featured as presenters were Institute Director Laura Meadows, UGA Vice President for Public Service and Outreach Jennifer Frum, and Kris Sikes, a fiscal analyst in the Institute's governmental services and research division.
The speakers explored the skills and background many women leaders share, such as strong family support and having effective mentors, said Jim Stephens, senior public service associate who served as a program facilitator.
The program included visits to Atlanta to meet Denson's daughter, Margaret D. Kaiser, a member of the Georgia House of Representatives, and to Tybee Island, where another one of Denson's daughters, Diane Schleicher, is the city manager. Side trips featured sampling fresh Georgia seafood at The Crab Shack in Tybee Island and a day at North Georgia Premium Outlets — where the visitors got "to do their part for the local economy," Zhang said.
The final week of the program featured tours of Washington, D.C., and New York City, where part of the itinerary got interrupted by bad weather — Hurricane Sandy came ashore in New Jersey just as the delegation was visiting Washington and preparing to depart for New York City with their escorts from the Institute.
Leadership training for the Shanghai Women's Federation, like the ongoing Shanghai Executive Training Group, could develop into a "long-term, annual" program, Zhang said.
