Women Leaders Assemble

Women leaders in a number of professional fields have come to Harvard this week to share their experiences and strategies for success with undergraduates at the fifth annual Harvard-Radcliffe Women's Leadership project conference.

Among key topics discussed so far by speakers at the five-day conference, which concludes Wednesday, have been the challenges of balancing family life with careers and of developing greater control over personal decisions.

The conference, sponsored by the College and the Institute of Politics, brings 35 selected undergraduates--33 women and two men--together with women working in business, industry and government.

Natosha O. Reid '93, an organizer and board member of the conference, said that one of the major aims of the conference is to help women become more confident.

"One way we do this is by looking at issues from different angles and viewpoints through the experiences lived by successful women leaders," said Ouzama N. Nicholson '94, a conference participant.

The conference opened with a keynote address by Liz Walker, the co-anchor of Boston's television station WBZ-TV4 news, who recounted her struggle to succeed in the television industry as a Black women. "We [women] need to take care of ourselves," Walker said, adding that sometimes it is necessary to challenge the system to make it better serve women's needs.

The conference, organized into informational panels and "skills development" workshops, has featured speakers candidly detailing aspects of their family and professional lives.

One of the most riveting presentations was made by Susan Zirinsky, senior producer of CBS News, who described her experiences reporting on location during the Gulf War.

"We were not only the first news team in Kuwait City, in fact we also beat the U.S. Army by two hours," Zirinsky said.

Rachana Choubey '93, an organizer and board member of the conference, said she hopes that hearing about the women leaders' experiences will help undergraduate women face challenges in their own lives.

"It's through this kind of interchange that we hope to inform and inspire women to face the challenges that lie ahead of them in the workplace and at home," Choubey said.

Other panel members included Antonia Handler Chayes, former undersecretary of the Air Force; Syeda Abida Hussain, Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States; and Alice K. Wolf, former mayor of Cambridge.