Media Contact:
Erin Moran
646-233-4954
erin@dressforsuccess.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DRESS FOR SUCCESS CONVENES 5TH ANNUAL SUCCESS SUMMIT
Actress Niecy Nash to give inspirational keynote address
San Francisco, CA – (July 24, 2009)
Dress for Success will convene its fifth annual Professional
Women’s Group Success Summit July 24-26 at the Sir
Frances Drake Hotel in San Francisco. The keynote speaker
will be Niecy Nash, actress and star of
two television shows. Presenting sponsors of the
event include Kimpton Hotels and Restaurants, lia sophia,
Robert Half International and Rona Jaffe Foundation.
The Success Summit
is a leadership conference designed for Professional Women’s
Group (PWG) members to develop and enhance their leadership
skills. This year, 52 Dress for Success affiliates from
around the world will be represented by one delegate and one
PWG coordinator. Industry leaders will conduct seminars and
interactive sessions on topics such as networking,
recession-proofing your career, information technology, and
health and wellness. The Professional Women’s Group is an
international employment retention program, which provides
women with support, practical information and inspiration to
achieve self-defined success in career and life. There are
currently more than 10,000 members in over
60 Professional Women’s Groups at Dress for Success
affiliates globally.
“The Success
Summit is an intense and inspirational weekend,” said
Joi Gordon,
Chief Executive Officer of Dress for Success Worldwide.
“These phenomenal women will leave equipped with knowledge
and encouragement to become powerful leaders in their
communities.”
Niecy
Nash, host of The Style Network’s highest-rated show
Clean House, was
selected as the keynote speaker of this year’s Success
Summit to share her inspirational story. At a young age,
Niecy dreamed of being a performing and after struggling to
succeed in the industry, she has realized her dreams.
Many of the
attendees will relate to her journey as a mother balancing
family and work.
The
delegates attending this year’s Success Summit are a
diverse and impressive group of women and have been PWG
members for an average of over two years.
All are currently employed with nearly 40% having
supervisory responsibilities in their jobs. They range in
age from 22 to 60, and 84% have children.
63% have taken at
least some college courses and 29% of all delegates have
earned an undergraduate or graduate degree.
A highlight of the
Success Summit is
the presentation of the annual Professional Women’s Group
Achievement Awards. This year, Dress for Success will
honor one affiliate and two delegates who utilized the
leadership skills they acquired at last year’s conference to
help their PWG and local community. Eileen Beaman from Dress
for Success Brookhaven and Marceline Vaughn from Dress for
Success Memphis are the 2009 delegate honorees. The
affiliate recipient will be announced at the awards dinner
on July 25.
With the support of her PWG members, Eileen
created a career development and suiting program for female
veterans and the wives of veterans returning from
Afghanistan and Iraq.
In addition to providing services to these deserving
women, the group conducted a successful fundraiser and
raised awareness of this great need in their community.
“I knew deep inside that
I could be a strong leader and the Success Summit gave me
the tools to achieve my personal and professional goals,”
shared Eileen.
Marceline created
Change for a Healthier Lifestyle, a health education,
information and resource fair for women.
By building support with non-profits in the
community, Marceline and her Professional Women’s Group
conducted a successful fair attended by more than 130 women.
“What I learned about myself [through this
experience, is that] I am a leader, resourceful and have the
ability to bring others together around a common cause,”
said Marcy.
About Dress for Success
Dress for Success is an international not-for-profit
organization that promotes the economic independence of
disadvantaged women by providing professional attire, a
network of support and the career development tools to help
women thrive in work and in life. Since starting operations
in 1997, Dress for Success has expanded to more than 90
cities in the U.S.,
Canada, Mexico, the
Netherlands,
New Zealand, Poland, the UK
and the West Indies. To
date, Dress for Success has helped more than 500,000 women
work towards self-sufficiency.
Visit
www.dressforsuccess.org
to learn more.
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