From the Director
By Kim Bobby

I really like the theme of reflective leadership that is the focus of this edition of the NetworkNews. It is in moments of purposeful reflection that we gain new insights on the challenges and accomplishments we have experienced. These moments can help us discover the power of our own convictions, calling, courage, and leadership. Each of us has our own unique journey as leaders, filled with moments of doubt, wisdom, adversity, pride, and appreciation. These are based on our lived experiences as women with a variety of salient identities that are called upon at various intersections of our lives. Taking time to reflect on those parts of ourselves that we call upon to lead in critical moments is important for each of us as we encounter many different environments and make decisions daily. I am reminded of this each time we convene our “Lessons from the Lives of Women Presidents” panel at the ACE Women’s Leadership Forums. I am always struck by the personal narratives and the insights these women share, and their consistent message about the importance of purposeful reflection on their journey.

As I look back over the past year and reflect on the work of the ACE Women’s Network, I am reminded of the new ways we have begun to engage each other. When I started here at ACE, I promised we would send out a mid-monthly communication to the networks. This was an attempt to capture news, events, job postings, and changes in leadership, and to then share that information with all of you. At first, we received a few replies, and that was a good sign. As I think about how robust our mid-monthly exchanges are now, I have a greater awareness of the impact the networks are truly making across the country. I have become aware that many of your networks are designing local conferences that reach large numbers of women in your state. The topics presented have been timely and relevant to your own unique settings and great care and reflection has gone into the preparation and delivery of these events. I have been lucky enough to speak at several events on behalf of ACE, and I am always pleased to be able to join you. 

The mid-monthly communications have allowed us to maintain an accurate ACE Women’s Network directory on the ACE website, and to think about ways to maintain connections with state coordinators as they pass the torch to new leadership. We all share the desire to maintain the vitality of our ACE Women’s Networks and value the rich histories associated with them. I applaud the ACE Women’s Network as reflective leadership in action as I witness the mindfulness with which you cultivate and transition leadership and bring innovative approaches to advance women leaders in higher education.

Kim Bobby is the Director of ACE's Inclusive Excellence Group.