My Experience of the NAFE Conference, Executive Women Leading the Way
WNOCC Chairwoman, Cynthia V. Mitchell, M.Ed., NAFE 2007 Women of Excellence

“The NAFE mission is to serve women boldly,” stated Betty Spence, President of NAFE, The National Association for Female Executives.The nation’s largest women’s business association was celebrating its 35th year.
“Networking is all about connections, and I urge you to use the energy and connections you create here to move forward,” she advised.
We gathered at the Ritz-Carlton overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Laguna Niguel, to network and mentor one another. Leadership styles  were mirrored by such outstanding examples as Rosario Marin, former Treasurer of the United States and current Secretary of State and Consumer Agency  for  the State of California, Carol Evans, Founder and CEO of Working Mother media, the Parent Company of NAFE, Marilyn Johnson, Vice President, Marketing development, IBM, one of the conference sponsors, and at least 35 other speakers and panelists whose  impressive credentials and accomplishments earned them the right to participate.
The event was a collaborative venture of NAFE and the Executive Women’s Network.
When I designed my job description as Chairwoman of the Board of  WNOCC, I recognized that for the last two years  as Director. I was so focused upon rebuilding the local network, that I had little time to develop  our connection with the national network, NAFE. I created a job description for Chairwoman that would build in time for the NAFE development within our membership and I knew that I would need to attend the annual conference to immerse us in what NAFE is really about.  We were very fortunate to have Dr. Betty Spence, President of  NAFE, be our speaker at our 2006 WNOCC Annual awards luncheon. It was then that we also learned about the emergence of another aspect of her work, a new non profit called Equal Voice, encouraging women to participate in leadership roles at the local, state and national levels.  The incoming WNOCC Director, Dr. Sabine Halboth, and Board endorsed a plan at  our January retreat to educate members about NAFE  in a way that would bridge the local, regional and national perspective that is indicative of any progressive women’s organization.
I have been called to leadership positions since I was 13 years old. I co-led a teenage leadership conference then for the YWCA, and my mentor was a spectacular woman, who taught me early on the importance of diversity in society. Since then, I have aspired to leadership positions, at the college level and throughout my initial career as an educator overseeing interns. Now as I help women who want to create work life harmony do so by establishing businesses that allow them to do just that.
The irony was that this conference was setup around 5 mega networking sessions, which began at breakfast, were woven into lunch and continued through dinner. In this environment with seasoned networkers, I initially retreated into an introverted mode.
I remember taking a break from one of our sessions and instead of going for tea at the exhibits, I thought I would  take a quiet break at the ladies room. I opened the door and there were 15 women all excited about meeting one another. The energy was simply remarkable, and much to my delight, I did follow suit.
The atmosphere was inclusive and diverse. This was a group of extremely secure and  successful, women, both corporate and entrepreneurs, and media gurus from the likes of  Fast Company Magazine to Entrepreneur Magazine to the Orange County Register to Latina Style Magazine and Professional Women’s Magazine who would teach us all how to deepen our relationship with  members of  the media .
For me, as WNOCC Chairwoman, the workshop on “Giving Back is Good for Business: Philanthrophy and Social Responsibility” empowered me to work more knowledgeably and with more certainty with our WNOCC Corporate Relations Committee and with our Corporate Partners.
The experience of receiving my Women of Excellence Entrepreneur Award 2007 will be listed among those life changing events of my career. When I opened the program that evening and saw my write-up amidst four others :Julie Fasone Holder, Corporate Vice President of Human Resources and Diversity at Dow Chemical, and Donna Riley, Vice President Human Resources and Administration-Corporate, IBM,and Lisa Marie Platke, CEO, Upside Thinking, and Marlene Dave, Director the Blackwell Academy of Performing Arts, I was honored indeed. As I shared in my acceptance speech at the podium, part of me was taking in the meaning of this moment in time. It is only a matter of time to see how that unfolds. Of  this I am certain,NAFE honors women and helps us remember, request, and reclaim our position in the marketplace.