As a member of the InterOrganization Network (ION), the FWA is expanding its efforts to help women achieve senior business and board positions. ION, composed of twelve prestigious regional women’s organizations across the United States, advocates for the ascension of women to executive suite and board of director positions. 

FWA is represented on ION’s Board by Ziporah Janowski of the FWA’s Directorships & Corporate Governance (DCG) Committee.  Ziporah recently attended ION’s annual meeting in Chicago and returned with her report on ION’s many activities.

“ION is bursting with initiatives,” Ziporah says. “The women representing each of its member organizations are talented and dedicated to ION’s mission and will help ION truly make a difference.”  ION’s current projects and initiatives include:

·         Entering into an alliance with The White House Project (TWHP) – a nonpartisan organization working to advance women in business, politics and media (www.thewhitehouseproject.org).  Together, ION and TWHP seek to mobilize women in Congress to promote the importance of diversity on boards in corporate governance hearings and legislation.

·         Creating a “Where are the Women” toolkit on ION’s website, which helps shareholders vote their proxy and provide feedback to companies on the issue of having diversity in the boardrooms.

·         Joining forces with institutional investors by building a relationship with the Council of Institutional Investors and its new Diversity Sub-Committee.

·         Seeking to influence endowment funds and other institutional investors to advocate for board diversity by voting their proxies and/or beginning a dialogue with governance/nominating committees of companies where they own stock.

·         Forming a National Advisory Council which will be comprised of persons advising ION on achieving its mission.

ION is regularly contacted with board opportunities for women, and many of the positions are shared with FWA’s DCG Committee.  The DCG Committee solicits qualified FWA members to apply for these positions by posting the positions to the FWA website and sharing the information among the DCG Committee members.  Remember to check often for new listings and apply if you meet the qualification criteria. 

Both ION and the DCG Committee welcome your help.  Members interested in joining a committee or anyone with questions about ION should contact Ziporah Janowski at ziporah@campshane.com.  See information about the DCG Committee at the following link: www.fwa.org/committee/bofd.htm.



Ziporah Janowski
Camp Shane, LLC