At Ellevate Foundation, our purpose is to foster leadership by providing tools, resources, and events for both existing and aspiring female leaders.
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At Ellevate Foundation, our purpose is to advance women in leadership. Our annual Women's Leadership Summit is our flagship event, bringing together women from across the insurance industry for an inspiring experience centered on leadership, professional growth, and authentic connection. Proceeds from the event directly support our mission of providing financial grants that help women access career-building education, conferences, and leadership development opportunities.
We used it before the hipsters did.
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Infinite battery life, no loading time, no data fees.
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Wouldn't it be awesome if these were wearable?
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While celebrating a friend's birthday during an healthcare industry event, a silly party favor of tiny plastic men (in their tiny briefs) with their names written on their butts, such as Mitch or Chad or Brad, took on a life of its own. What happened next was strange and beautiful — a few of the friends started sharing pictures of "Mitch" having all sorts of adventures, and a hilarious group text thread was born.
These tiny plastic men went hiking, they went out for cocktails, they went on vacation, to the pumpkin patch, and plenty of conferences. In between these photo antics, these women would share their challenges, frustrations, business questions, and achievements with each other. In didn't take long before a sisterhood of support and camaraderie was born.
That triggered an itch to pay it forward – to share and expand this sense of sisterhood beyond just those in this text thread. One of the women started thinking about how cool it would be to host retreats of some kind to get female leaders together. Right around the same time another one of them was getting ideas of her own, and approached the others…. what if we hosted a conference focused on female leadership and empowerment?
From the beginning, we were committed to ensuring a collaborative and inclusive approach, and decided while this was solely focused on women, we were not discrediting our male counterparts. Thus, we created the Mars Squad, in homage to Dr. John Gray’s 1992 bestseller, Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus. Forty of our amazing male colleagues have readily donated $250 to join, a statement of support for their female counterparts.
The Ellevate Foundation, in conjunction with our yearly Women's Leadership Summit, is now on its fifth year of celebrating women's empowerment and focused on our goal of providing tools and resources to help grow personally and professionally. We welcome you to join us.
As the story goes... a group of women went to a birthday dinner and the rest is history.
According to a compilation of data curated by S&P Global Market Intelligence, only 23% of executives and officers at large insurance companies are women.
Yet, a study by McKinsey & Company revealed that women make up 67% of entry level staff. They go on to assert that creating sponsorship opportunities is one way to help women advance professionally. With women being 21% less likely to be promoted than men, there’s a clear need for both informal and formal social networks for women.
and that's why ellevate foundation exists, to help fill that void.
In 2019, we introduced the Women’s Leadership Summit as a first-of-its-kind event, focused on gathering existing and aspiring women leaders in our industry to help develop, grow and encourage likeminded individuals as the industry shifts and expands.
The Women's Leadership Summit began in 2019 with a vision of creating an intimate, high-impact leadership experience for women in the insurance industry. That inaugural event welcomed just 100 attendees, intentionally curated to foster meaningful connections and lasting relationships.
While the pandemic delayed our momentum, WLS returned stronger than ever in 2022 and continued to grow each year. Following the success of the summit, the Ellevate Foundation was established to expand our impact beyond a single event by providing professional development grants that help women access leadership education and career-building opportunities.
Since then, WLS has welcomed hundreds of women from across the insurance industry—including carriers, agencies, technology partners, and service providers—for an experience centered on authentic leadership, meaningful conversations, and genuine connection. As the community has grown, so has our mission to invest in the next generation of women leaders.
ellevate foundation BOARD OF DIRECTORS
I saw a need to create a space where females could come together and learn, grow and support each other. In a world where competition is all around us this is a space to be inclusive and lift each other up.
Stephanie berger
CERRINA JENSEN
korey ashton
Jolene bibian
jill pedersen
I'm on this team to nurture, promote and demonstrate female leadership and diversity. It's time to break down our own underlying barriers, and for me it's very personal. This sisterhood is something I want to celebrate and magnify.
I spent years without a tribe of female friends and mentors. I want to create a space where others who also feel alone can connect and grow together.
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together” - it wasn't until I had a community of fierce leaders did I realize how capable I truly am. A fire was lit and they help fan my flame. Building this community to help cultivate that same fire in others is why I choose to show up.
Being lifted up by female leaders, empowered to go farther than I could comprehend and surrounded by a support system that enabled me to be ME has been the gift of a lifetime. Paying it forward is where I find joy.
ellevate foundation BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Meet Our Team
Donate To Ellevate Foundation
We welcome and appreciate donations to our foundation, which exists for the exclusive purpose of ELLEVATING women as leaders through tools, resources and funding to grow and thrive both professionally and personally.
