Images from Chicago

In the early morning hours of an overcast Monday, about three dozen women between the ages of 23 and 88 gathered at the Omni Hotel in Chicago for the first of five National Women's Leadership Summits sponsored by State Farm and presented by Leadership America, the National African-American Women Leadership Institute (NAAWLI), the Center for Asian Pacific American Women (CAPAW), and Leadership Illinois. Their idea: to reflect on the past two decades of women's professional development training programs, and to define "the Next Big Thing" women will need to lead in the 21st century.



About one-third of participants were alumnae of Leadership Illinois, and a handful were prospective members who hadn't participated in any of the sponsoring organizations' training sessions. Ideas ranged from the engagement of online social media to the construction of senior women's co-housing. Data gathered will be combined with information from sessions in San Francisco (September 18), Los Angeles (September 19), and Dallas (October 11). Space is limited and registration is required. Link here to register.

If you cannot attend, join the Leadership America Alumnae group on LinkedIn, get live text message updates via Twitter and view photos via Flickr.