Upcoming Events

If you are in need of an event scholarship or would like to donate to our scholarship program, please visit our scholarship page.

Mar 25

WEST Virtual Gathering: Finding community in the midst of social distancing
March 25, 2020, 6:00 - 7:15 PM 

Location: Zoom
Cost: $0

Register  Add to Calendar 03/25/2020 06:00 PM 03/25/2020 7:15 PM America/New_York A WEST Virtual Gathering: Finding community in the midst of social distancing Are you feeling cooped up by working from home every day, and longing for some social interaction, now that most public events are cancelled? Then come join us for our first ever Virtual Community Gathering. We're planning this free, virtual event for March 25th, as a replacement for one of our rescheduled in-person events. We'll be gathering, via Zoom, for an hour or so of small-group breakout sessions as well as full-group discussions led by members of the WEST Board of Directors and Advisory Board. You'll have the chance to network with members of our community in virtual Zoom breakout rooms, and to share your career advice and experiences of coping with COVID-19. Come brainstorm with us, both during the Zoom gathering, and perhaps afterwards, on ways we can stay connected, support each other, and stay focused on the things we can control in our work and in our lives. Zoom

aPR 1

Maximize Your Seat at the Table Webinar
April 1, 2020, 12:00 - 1:00 PM 

Location: Zoom
Cost: $5 for members, $15 for non-members

Register  Add to Calendar 04/01/2020 12:00 PM 04/01/2020 1:00 PM America/New_York Webinar: How to Maximize Your Seat at the Table The literal and proverbial “seat at the table” represents your ability to have a voice in your organization and successfully influence others. Some women struggle to get to the table. Others experience challenges maximizing their seat when they get there. To expand your influence, make a bigger impact and more effectively achieve your professional goals, you need to make your voice heard. As women, however, many of us struggle to find our voices in the workplace. With increased confidence, communication skills and political savvy, you can maximize your seat at the table. In this session, you’ll learn how to get a seat, effectively use your seat and maintain your seat for the long-term. Zoom

aPR 9

Rockstar Breakfast and Networking - SOLD OUT - to be rescheduled due to COVID-19 
April 9, 2020, 8:00 - 9:00 AM 

Location: Womble Bond Dickinson, Independence Wharf at 470 Atlantic Ave, 6th Floor, Boston, MA
Cost: $5 for members

Register  Add to Calendar 04/09/2020 8:00 AM 04/09/2020 9:00 AM America/New_York Rockstar Breakfast and Networking Are you looking for an opportunity to network with local senior women leaders? If so, this is THE event for you. Enjoy a light breakfast accompanied by lots of conversation with Michal Preminger, Head, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Boston and Sandra Glucksmann, President and CEO, Cedilla Therapeutics. Registration is for WEST MEMBERS ONLY and will be limited to a maximum of 20 participants to ensure an intimate experience. Womble Bond Dickinson, Independence Wharf at 470 Atlantic Ave, 6th Floor, Boston, MA

Apr 27

Building Success with Optimism, Resilience, and Grit
April 27, 2020, 6:00 - 8:30 PM 

Location: Sanofi, 68 New York Avenue, Framingham, MA 01701
Cost: $10 for members, $25 for non-members

Register  Add to Calendar 04/27/2020 6:00 PM 04/27/2020 8:30 PM America/New_York Building Success with Optimism, Resilience, and Grit This interactive workshop focuses on the next level of leadership and people development - keeping one's self strong in mind through optimism, resilience, and grit. Through group and partner discussions, we will explore ways to strengthen or teach others optimism, resilience, and grit. You will learn how to strengthen and develop Optimism. We will also explore ways to build Resilience as a competency to overcome change and challenges. The workshop will end with ways to strengthen GRIT as a competency that differentiates exceptional performers from good performers, which impacts business results. Sanofi, 68 New York Avenue, Framingham, MA 01701

Apr 29

How to Make Your Ideas Irresistible 
April 29, 2020, 8:00 - 9:30 AM 

Location: bluebird bio, 60 Binney Street, 10th Floor, Aviary Room, Cambridge, MA 02142
Cost: $10 for members, $25 for non-members

Register  Add to Calendar 04/29/2020 8:00 AM 04/29/2020 9:30 AM America/New_York How to Make Your Ideas Irresistible At the heart of communications lies one seemingly elusive goal: how can we actually get people to love our ideas as much as we do? Thankfully, there’s a surprisingly simple answer, and it lies in how we come up with our ideas in the first place. Tamsen Webster spent 20 years making messages to move minds and markets and four years turning ideas into action as the Executive Producer of one of the largest TEDx events in the world. During this interactive session the audience will learn: The three most common mistakes we make when communicating our ideas and what to do instead, the fastest way to overcome people’s natural resistance to change and how to use it in any format, and the simple formula for making ideas irresistible. bluebird bio, 60 Binney Street, 10th Floor, Aviary Room, Cambridge, MA 02142

MAY 6

Parenting Power Hour
May 6, 2020, 8:00 - 9:15 AM 

Location: bluebird bio, 60 Binney Street, 10th Floor, Aviary Room, Cambridge, MA 02142
Cost: $5 for members, $10 for non-members

Register  Add to Calendar 05/06/2020 8:00 AM 05/06/2020 9:15 AM America/New_York Parenting Power Hour Calling all working parents! We know that managing a career and being a parent isn't easy! Are there days you wonder how other working parents seem to get it all done? Are you looking to expand your parenting toolbox and try new strategies for making life easier? Come join us for WEST's first Parenting Power Hour. Parenting Power Hours are fun, interactive forums that allow you to share ideas and receive take-a-ways that you can implement to help with a variety of work and family life challenges. You’ll engage in short, topic-based conversations that are designed to help you make connections with other parents, explore parenting questions, and gain tips and tricks to help you navigate the ins and outs of being a working parent. Hosted by working parent experts from Soutiens, this dynamic event will give you a variety of new ideas, hacks, and tips to try out! bluebird bio, 60 Binney Street, 10th Floor, Aviary Room, Cambridge, MA 02142

May 19

Attentive Listening
May 19, 2020, 6:00 - 8:30 PM 

Location: PerkinElmer, 940 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451
Cost: $25 for members, $50 for non-members

Register  Add to Calendar 05/19/2020 6:00 PM 05/19/2020 8:30 PM America/New_York Attentive Listening Listening is the most highly correlated skill with emotional intelligence in leaders. It's also the primary skill needed for resolving conflict and having empathic discussions. And while great listening skills are easy to learn; according to the Center for Creative Leadership, most leaders get very low scores from their key stakeholders on their listening ability - but rate themselves much higher. In this workshop, we'll practice attentive listening as defined by Stephen Covey, and take a short self-assessment to determine what might be in the way of being a respectful and attentive listener. We'll also explore how listening leads to influence which is critical for anyone who needs to get things done without having positional power. PerkinElmer, 940 Winter Street, Waltham, MA 02451

sep 24

Women and Wealth: Setting Your Course to a Strong Financial Future
September 24, 2020, 6:00 - 8:00 PM 

Location: Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142
Cost: $0 for members; $5 for non-members

Register  Add to Calendar 09/24/2020 06:00 PM 09/24/2020 8:00 PM America/New_York Women and Wealth: Setting Your Course to a Strong Financial Future Women are a powerful economic force, controlling nearly 40%--or $11.2 trillion—of all investable assets in the U.S. as primary decision-makers. They also represent almost half of the entire U.S. professional workforce. However, women face unique financial challenges and the many roles they play—business owner, scientist, technologist, mother, sister—influence the many financial obligations they have for themselves and their families. But true wealth is about more than just a woman’s money. It’s about a woman’s life and the things she values most as well as the relationships, interests and goals that bring her joy. Putting all these elements at the heart of a woman’s long-term wealth management strategy helps ensure that she will achieve the financial future that she envisions. Please join us for an informative seminar designed to help you identify and prioritize your objectives, and then begin to build a personalized plan that helps maximize your probability of achieving the goals you have for yourself and your loved ones, however life unfolds. Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, 415 Main Street, Cambridge, MA 02142

sep 30

WEST's 12th Annual Awards Night: Celebrating Those who "Make a Difference" and a Special Panel Discussion on Gender Parity
September 30, 2020, 6:00 - 8:30 PM

WEST will be honoring those who have championed the advancement of women throughout Massachusetts at our 12th annual awards ceremony. We will also reflect on ways we can challenge ourselves to expand and build on these accomplishments. The panel will include leaders from the industry and academic sectors, who have advocated for gender parity in science and technology. They will be discussing the strategies they have explored and the advances already adopted by pharma and other industries to achieve greater gender parity and the advancement of more women into executive leadership roles. They will weave in legislative gains in MA, such as the Paid Family Leave Act and the 2019 MA Equal Pay Act. In addition, they will report on the latest gains in gender diversity in the science and technology industries, describing the impact it has had, and demonstrate how research can further support equal opportunities for women across their career journey. During the awards portion, we will honor those who exemplify the mission of WEST. The two key award categories this year will be Making a Difference in the Community (examples: running non-profit, helping in a soup kitchen, volunteering with animals) and Making a Difference for Women (examples: supporting women, mentoring, championing diversity). We will also honor WEST volunteers and supporters whose dedication and outreach efforts have helped us reach our strategic goals. 

Location: Ipsen, 650 E Kendall Street, Atrium, Cambridge, MA 02142
Cost: $15 for members; $30 for non-members

Register  Add to Calendar 09/30/2020 06:00 PM 09/30/2020 8:30 PM America/New_York WEST's 12th Annual Awards Night On September 30, 2020, WEST will be honoring those who have championed the advancement of women throughout Massachusetts at our 12th annual awards ceremony. We will also reflect on ways we can challenge ourselves to expand and build on these accomplishments. The panel will include leaders from the industry and academic sectors, who have advocated for gender parity in science and technology. Panelists include Anisha Asundi, Research Fellow: Gender Specialist, Women and Public Policy Program at Harvard Kennedy School, Caroline Breitbach, VP R&D Programs and Strategy at Turnstone Biologics, Megan Ann Greenfield, Partner at McKinsey & Company, and Alicja Januszewicz, Head of People & Culture at Allena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. They will be discussing the strategies they have explored and the advances already adopted by pharma and other industries to achieve greater gender parity and the advancement of more women into executive leadership roles. They will weave in legislative gains in MA, such as the Paid Family Leave Act and the 2019 MA Equal Pay Act. In addition, they will report on the latest gains in gender diversity in the science and technology industries, describing the impact it has had, and demonstrate how research can further support equal opportunities for women across their career journey. During the awards portion, we will honor those who exemplify the mission of WEST. The two key award categories this year will be Making a Difference in the Community (examples: running non-profit, helping in a soup kitchen, volunteering with animals) and Making a Difference for Women (examples: supporting women, mentoring, championing diversity). We will also honor WEST volunteers and supporters whose dedication and outreach efforts have helped us reach our strategic goals. WEST is devoted to supporting women at all stages of their careers by offering the tools, insights, and networking connections to promote their career advancement, learn about alternative options, and build leadership skills. We would be honored to have your support in helping us celebrate the achievements of women in the Cambridge and greater Boston ecosystem! Ipsen, 650 E Kendall Street, Atrium, Cambridge, MA 02142

To Learn more about any workshop leaders listed, please visit http://www.westorg.org/content-experts-and-workshop-leaders