Women execs off to camp – WorldWIT members to network with s’mores

In May, female business leaders from around the country and world will network the way they did when they were young: as bunkmates and over arts and crafts.

Boulder-based WorldWIT http://www.worldwit.org/ (the WIT stands for Women in Technology) has grown rapidly since its founding in 1999. It now has 30,000 members and about 70 chapters around the world. Members include entrepreneurs, investors and high-ranking executives.

By Erika Stutzman, Camera Business Writer

http://www.dailycamera.com/bdc/local_business/article/0,1713,BDC_2461_2600406,00.html

And while it’s not unusual for many of them to gather at various chapters and in social settings, this year they’re pitching the pantyhose and briefcases and heading to summer camp.

"We’ll attend sessions on business and technology, then have a massage or play capture the flag," said Liz Ryan, WorldWIT’s founder and chief executive. "At 6 a.m., you might want to do yoga or do some pottery."

She said the idea dawned on her as WorldWIT leaders started thinking about putting together the group’s first worldwide conference.

"We were brainstorming about cities and we were getting really stuck. We’ve all been to the hotel conferences in our business suits. It’s so boring," Ryan said.

She received a flier from the camp she attended as a girl — Appel Farm Arts & Music Center in Salem County, N.J. — and that was that.

The conference, called Camp WorldWIT Upward Bound, will be May 20-23. In addition to networking, the camp will focus on professional and entrepreneurial development, as well as creativity and wellness. Early registration, before Feb. 9, costs $595. Then until April 9, it will be $695; after April 9 it costs $795. http://www.camp.worldwit.org/

"I already have several registrations from outside the U.S.," Ryan said.

Speakers include Edie Weiner, president of Weiner, Edrich, Brown Inc.; Rosalyn Wesley, human resources director, Fortune Brands; Kat Carney, health news anchor, CNN Headline News; and Terry Neese, president and co-founder, Women Impacting Public Policy.

Kristi Hughes, who lives outside of Philadelphia, came to WorldWIT after working with the group at a public relations agency.

She said she’s excited for camp, and thinks it’s an environment that will cultivate new relationships.

"You go to these conferences and wear a suit and sit in a stuffy chair, listening to a PowerPoint in a stuffy auditorium," Hughes said. "I’d much rather listen to a presentation on business plans while wearing shorts and sitting on the floor, or on a balance ball."

Besides, Ryan said, camp is a natural place to network because it’s one of the first places people learn those skills.

"One of the first people I met when I moved to Boulder was a camp mate of mine," Ryan said. "What a way for professional women to get together: no pumps, no hose, just shorts and Birkenstocks."

Contact Erika Stutzman at [email protected] or (303) 473-1354.