WIELS Virtual 9th Annual Symposium
The ninth annual Women in Educational Leadership Symposium (WIELS) will be held virtually, Thursday, October 3, and Friday, October 4, 2024 from 1:00-5:00 pm EST. The symposium theme is Advancing the Leader Within: Building Capacity. WIELS invites attendees from all sectors involved in educational leadership from across the globe. This year, we will be asking for a $100 registration fee with students and public school teachers at a reduced rate.
We are pleased to announce our keynote speaker, Dr. Deanna Townsend-Smith. Dr. Townsend is the Senior Director of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity. The Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity & Opportunity strives to work collaboratively to take action toward addressing issues of systemic racism by advocating for structural changes in policy and practice to build an equitable education system that meets the social, emotional, and academic needs of NC’s diverse student population. Additionally, WIELS 2024 will be hosting concurrent sessions, panels, critical conversations, and paper presentations throughout the two day event.
WIELS is a partnership between faculty members in Appalachian State University's Reich College of Education and practicing educators. The partnership aims to equip women with pragmatic knowledge, skills, and dispositions that prepare them for success as educational leaders.
WIELS is a partnership between faculty members in the Leadership and Educational Studies at Appalachian State University and practicing educators. Our mandate is the development of an 'armoring process' that will equip women with pragmatic knowledge, skills, and dispositions that prepare them for success as educational leaders.
We believe all women, regardless of age, race, sexual orientation, creed, cultural uniqueness, religion, or politics deserve a community of support to foster their career advancement. WIELS is committed to developing individual and collective efficacies of women to ensure they are better equipped, confident, and ready to assume leadership positions.
Although gender and wage gaps are somewhat narrowing, women are still disproportionately under-represented in senior leadership positions in education as indicated by national and state trends. It is against such a backdrop that gives us the impetus to address these issues at WIELS. The overarching goal of this partnership is to narrow gender and wage gaps in various forms of leadership and governance. WIELS will serve as a catalyst, convener, and developer, to support educational career pathways for women.
To accomplish our mission, WIELS will be a clearinghouse for information on hot button issues facing women in educational leadership. WIELS will also sponsor an annual symposium held at Appalachian State University to provide networks of mentors, colleagues, and role models to assist women in achieving their career goals.
Contact Us
For more information, please contact WIELS director and assistant director.
Dr. Precious Guramatunhu-Mudiwa | Dr. Susan Colby |