Elon University hosted its second Women of Elon conference on March 13 and 14. 

Senior Director of Alumni Engagement Kendra Haskins said the event, which started in 2024, is held every other year to recognize the alumni and current female students. 

“Just to acknowledge and recognize that 60% of our alumni body are female, and 60% of the current student body also is female,” Haskins said. “To acknowledge that community, there are differences in how they want to be engaging and building connections, and how they want to be impacting students.”  

The first day of the conference included a guided networking session to build new connections and grow your network, followed by a welcome reception and a discussion led by President Connie Book and Elon faculty member Alexis Franzese. 

The second day included breakout sessions in the morning that focused on skill building and personal development, such as Breaking Your Own Glass Ceiling and Resilient Together: The Power of Female Friendships in Leadership and Life. 

A panel was held in Turner Theater, moderated by Dr. Terry Le, Elon University physician, with Dr. Kelly H. Leggett (OBGYN), Kardie Tobb, DO (cardiology) and Elizabeth Bailey, assistant teaching professor of Exercise Science. 

On the second day of the conference,Book hosted a fireside chat with nutritionist Joy Bauer, who talked about the importance of sleep and protein for wellness.

During the Q&A portion of the chat, Bauer spoke about how busy college students could manage their nutrition.

“The most valuable thing that you can do is to take 15 minutes over the weekend to look at your week ahead and see where you're going to be, what you're going to be doing, and plan out your meals loosely,” Bauer said. “This is not going to be set in stone, but what you're going to be doing is giving yourself a roadmap so that you'll have a good idea.”

Haskins said Bauer was the perfect choice for the fireside chat.  

“It makes so much sense. It's such a great fit for the conference,” Haskins said. “If you've ever watched her, she's got just an incredible vibe, and to be able to bring that here and share that and offer that opportunity to our community, to meet and engage with her was great.”

After the fireside chat, attendees had the chance to network with fellow alumni and attend more breakout sessions before the closing reception. 

The conference was open to both Elon alumni and current Elon students. Haskins said she hopes the students who came to this weekend's events are able to build connections.

“Our hope is you're going to walk away with some connections, whether it's personal, whether it's professional, that are going to help grow your network, because yes, we want students to come and join us, because they're going to be alumni soon too,” Haskins said. “This is the beginning of a lifelong relationship with Elon, but also with the Elon community.”

Haskins said that the idea for Women of Elon came from observing other events that were being hosted on campus.

“We've really been pushing the last couple years to diversify the kind of events and workshops that we're hosting, because not every event's going to be 300 people,” Haskins said.  “Sometimes it's great to bring 15 or 20 people together, but really acknowledge people and see them as individuals and provide content that they're going to find valuable.”

After launching this initiative, which also includes virtual events, the number of women who have made connections has grown. Haskins said that over the last two years, they have posted almost 60 events across the nation, engaging with almost 2,000 women.

Co-chair of the Women of Elon committee Michelle Wideman ‘00 said when Elon asked her to participate on the board, she jumped at the opportunity.

“I think it's super important to support women, and I work in technology,” Wideman said. “When I started in technology, there were very few women in the field. The women that were in the field were not very supportive of helping the people that were entering the workplace, and I always vowed that I wanted to help fix that if I could.” 

Wideman hopes attendees left the conference with new contacts and friends.

“The great thing about this event is everybody that is in this room is committed to women, and is a very approachable audience,” Wideman said. “I really hope everybody here will walk away with at least two new contacts in their network and make new friends along the way that, you know, can empathize and sympathize with them, because they're living similar lives, and sometimes I think that feels lonely, and always having another person that shares the same lived experiences with you, is really supportive and powerful.”

Wideman said the community of events like these is what makes the conference special.

“I think women take on a lot, especially those of us that are trying to juggle motherhood and work and personal health and wellness, and it's awesome to have a tribe of other people or a network of other people to lean on to help support each other through that,” Wideman said. 

Becky Lane ‘95, who serves on the advisory council for Women of Elon, said events like these are where she gets to meet new people.

“I think this is great because I'm meeting alumni that I wouldn't really know. It gets me back on the campus that I absolutely adore,” Lane said. “It's also gotten me in front of some students that I wouldn't have the opportunity to meet.”

Lane said events like these are important for different kinds of Alumni, saying this conference is all about building your brand, whether you are freshly out of college or have been out 30 years. 

“This is my happy place, it was some of my favorite four years of my life. I love seeing the growth and innovation on campus. It's really magic,” Lane said. “There's an energy here that you don't really see in corporate America, so I love being here.”