Guest Author: Wendy Doyle, President & CEO, United WE

In honor of Women’s History Month, I ask you to take a moment to imagine a world with complete equity in all aspects of our communities. Women are thriving, families are stronger, and neighborhoods are healthier.

This is a vision United WE and The DeBruce Foundation share. But our partnership doesn’t stop at a vision. We are dedicated to action.

Last year, The DeBruce Foundation sponsored 150 youth at our We Work for Change event, allowing attendees a professional development opportunity to learn from women leaders about equity and empowerment. This is just one of many ways The DeBruce Foundation supports our mission to overcome systemic barriers to women’s economic development and civic leadership.

Through our research, we found that one of the systemic barriers facing women is a lack of representation where policy decisions are made that affect our day-to-day lives. One solution to this barrier is United WE’s Appointments Project. Launched seven years ago in Kansas City, our Appointments Project has, to date, facilitated 175 women to be appointed in 34 cities, 6 counties, and 3 states nationwide. Through the program, we empower women to serve on civic boards and commissions, where they have the power to affect decisions about public health, infrastructure, economic development, schools, and more. When women are at the table, we all win.

Together, to increase gender equity on civic boards and commissions, United WE and The DeBruce Foundation are eager to announce their newest partnership: including the Agilities Framework into the Appointments Project® curriculum to further prepare women for civic leadership in 2022.

As women navigate the appointment process through a series of mentorship sessions and trainings, they will now also be learning about their Agilities. Future appointees will take The DeBruce Foundation’s Agile Work Profiler (AWP), an innovative tool that generates affirmation and awareness of one’s skills and interests. It will reinforce the strengths and skills of each woman and further define their unique skills to improve their community.

Approaching women’s economic challenges from multiple angles is the only way to truly remove them once and for all. Using the Agilities to help women leaders grow is a new angle, and one about which we are eager.

While United WE and The DeBruce Foundation are tackling root issues of gender and economic inequity, change is not possible without your action. Learn more about The DeBruce Foundation’s Agilities here and United WE’s Appointment Project® here. United, we can expand economic growth and opportunity.