EmPOWERing Women Leaders through Networking, Mentorship
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By Joan Slattery Wall
Each year, the John Glenn College of Public Affairs hosts its annual Women of POWER Network Reception to introduce current leaders to the next generation of women who are ready to run for public office and take on leadership roles in their communities.
“The benefit of the Women of POWER reception for current and future women leaders is networking with other women who share the core value of solving problems — whether through policy, advocacy or service,” said Christina Polesovsky, associate director, American Petroleum Institute-Ohio (API Ohio). “That engagement has the potential to create professional and personal bonds that are absolutely essential to any leader’s success.”
The Glenn College hosts this year’s Women of POWER reception on May 26.
In addition to creating a network of support among women leaders, the reception is a fundraising event that supports the college’s nonpartisan Programs for Ohio Women Empowered to Represent (POWER), which provide leadership training for current students and professionals.
Polesovsky helps to promote the POWER mission by stewarding sponsorship from API and personally serving as a faculty in residence for the NEW Leadership program, a five-day training for student leaders who want to increase representation of women in politics.
Mary Amos Augsburger, a lawyer and chief executive officer of the Ohio Bar Association, serves on the college’s POWER Commission, providing mentorship, advocacy, fundraising and strategic direction for the POWER programs. She is a dedicated advocate, cultivating connections and introducing individuals from the Ohio State Bar Association to POWER programs.
Augsburger said throughout her career, she has benefitted from strong women mentors, and now she believes in paying it forward.