When the Verger Women’s Leadership Initiative (VWLI) launched in 2020, it had an important mission: create a dedicated space for female team members to continuously build impactful leadership skills. Since its inception, the group has flourished and made a meaningful impact at Verger by fostering leadership and growth for women within the organization. What’s more, the group has evolved into a powerful force driving firm-wide professional development and community engagement.
In marking five years since the group was formed, VWLI members came together earlier this year to reflect on their collective journey, celebrate their many achievements, and envision their future success. The result was an energizing 2-day event including the REACH Women’s Network Annual Conference and an intimate VWLI retreat and workshop at the beautiful Graylyn Estate.
To celebrate the group's founding, VWLI team members attended a retreat where the group deepened their connection, reflected on growth and learnings from prior workshops and sessions, and planned for more meaningful ways to develop over the coming years. During the retreat, the women created space to celebrate the wide range of group and member contributions through reflection and recognition. In looking back at VWLI’s first five years, the group was proud to point to many achievements, including:
Members were also proud to recognize how the group has evolved over the past five years, in ways such as:
The REACH Women's Network Annual Conference always proves to be a diverse forum for learning from experts and deepening relationships with team and community members. This year’s iteration was the perfect opportunity for VWLI members to hone leadership skills and explore elevating the collective voice of women in the workplace. Common themes throughout the conference were well aligned with the group's core focus, including leading with purpose, navigating challenges with intention and confidence, and creating a supportive workplace that values every voice and experience.
In addition to sponsoring and participating in the annual REACH Conference, VWLI members are furthering the group's engagement this year by organizing volunteer events to support nonprofits and participating in mentorship programs. This is the second year that Verger's Communications Director, Inge Smith, is serving as a mentor in the REACH + Salem College Leadership and Mentoring Program, where professional women serve as mentors for Salem Scholars. Since its inception, this program pairs mentors with sophomore students during the fall semester. The program includes opportunities for students to network, develop an understanding of their values, and grow through intentional exercises that encourage meaningful dialogue and goal setting.
While celebrating VWLI’s impact and recognizing how the group has evolved, members were happy to create further space for imagining what’s next – both for VWLI and for growing leaders throughout Verger.
Chief amongst members’ collective vision was continuing to honor the ethos of “leadership at every level,” where team members across departments are encouraged to apply their developing skills and talents to daily leadership tasks and ongoing leadership initiatives, both within the framework of VWLI and within the broader firm.
An ongoing focus for the group is the continued importance of measuring VWLI initiatives’ impact and focusing attention where the group's efforts can create tangible positive outcomes within Verger and the broader community. The entire Verger team is excited to continue this work and expand efforts for new initiatives to multiply positive impact in the years to come.
Images from the Verger Women's Leadership 2025 Retreat.