One of the program's unique features is providing access to some of the world's most successful women. IWF's more than 4,200 membership includes women such as: Madeleine Albright, Jill Barad, Gert Boyle, Julia Child, Eleanor Clift, Hillary Clinton, Johnnetta Cole, April Cornell, Paola Fendi, Geraldine Ferraro, Ann Fudge, Kay Bailey Hutchison, Coretta Scott King, Mary Landrieu, Evelyn Lauder, Bette Bao Lord, Zanele Mbeki, Denise Morrison, Sandra Day O'Connor, Cokie Roberts, Muriel Siebert, Gillian Martin Sorensen, & Christine Todd Whitman.

 

IWF members are CEOs, CFOs, and Presidents of companies like Bain & Company, Bank One, Bissett Steel, Colgate-Palmolive, General Dynamics Armaments, Harry Winston, Hearst Magazines, Home Depot Canada, International Paper, JP Morgan Chase, Lifetime Television, Liz Claiborne, Magnotta, Marion Steel, Marshall Fields, Oxygen Media, Oppenheimer Management, Ogilvy & Mather, PBS, People Magazine, Pfizer Global Pharmaceuticals, MasterCard, Merrill Lynch Trust, Raffles, Ruder-Finn, Southwest Airlines, Tootsie Roll, Wells Fargo Bank and Western Union.

Mentoring

 

Throughout the fellowship year, Fellows are matched with IWF Mentors who act as hands-on coaches and personal guides. Through formal mentoring and access to IWF's membership, the program offers one-of-a-kind opportunities to connect with women pioneers who first broke the barriers of gender, race, and bias.

 

Mentors work with Fellows to develop a strategic plan the mentorship. The outline explains the Fellows' goals and objectives and gives a description of the approach she will use to reach them. The plan also delineates activities the Fellow will undertake as part of her mentoring experience and may include networking opportunities, attendance of certain events or meetings, targeted introductions, and specific projects. Many Mentors and Fellows develop a joint project that gives added focus to the mentoring and includes an element of education regarding the leadership skills sought by the Fellow.

 

The Mentor/Fellow relationship involves 5 days throughout the Fellows Program year. The 5 days is usually a combination of:

 

•  Project work targeted by Mentor and Fellow

•  Workplace visits between Mentor and Fellow

•  Scheduled meetings between Mentor and Fellow in venues relevant to her development plans

•  Conference calls

•  Scheduled meetings between the Fellow and Mentor contacts