#WhyWISEWednesday: We're thrilled to announce a new weekly series featuring voices from our WISE Seattle Community.
We're dedicated to championing change in our industry, cultivating an inclusive community, and providing support, resources, and networking to foster personal and professional growth.
In our first installment, we spotlight the women who started it all:
Chapter President - Frances Traisman
"I first learned about WISE during the WISE Executive Leadership Institute (WELI) at Dartmouth's Tuck School of Business in 2018. There, I gained crucial business and leadership skills for the sports industry and formed close relationships with talented female executives nationwide and in Canada, many of whom were involved with WISE.
At the time, I had a successful career, a strong network, and a loving family. However, balancing it all was challenging, especially without seeing others like me. Having WISE as a resource with its peer network and career support would have eased my journey. Convinced of its potential to benefit women in sports in Seattle, I spoke with Kathy Francis, WISE's President and Board Chair, who connected me with Lisa Bregman. From there, we established the chapter."
_____
Chapter Vice President At Large - Lisa Bregman
'When I first moved here, I sought an outlet to meet new, like-minded people. I was on the WISE board in LA, and that's where I made some of my closest friends. So when I realized Seattle didn't have a chapter, I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to both integrate myself into my new city and give back to other women in the industry.
I connected with Frances Traisman (Senior Vice President of Sales at Seattle Mariners), who had also expressed interest in starting a chapter. Somehow, from there, we recruited a handful of some of the most incredible women I've ever met to be part of our board!
We started with meetings every Friday morning in the Mariners' offices, planning and trying to figure out what was needed to bring our vision to life. Simultaneously, we hosted our first event: a casual networking meet-up on the second Tuesday of March in 2019.
That began a tradition of monthly Programming that's continued to this day!"