Our IWF Georgia Purpose

To advance women’s leadership and champion equality by providing unique opportunities for diverse distinguished women leaders to connect with one another, stimulate growth and impact, and elevate all women

International Women’s Forum

The IWF is a global organization with a mission to connect women leaders around the world across careers, cultures, and continents.  The IWF is headquartered in Washington, D.C.  The IWF was started in 1982 by Elinor Guggenheim and Eleanor Holmes Norton.  There are chapters in 33 nations with more than 5,000 women as members in Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, Latin America, the Middle East, and North America.  IWF Georgia is one of the chapters affiliated with the International Women’s Forum.  Membership in the IWF is by invitation.  

The IWF sponsors important programs that foster connections among women leaders and support the development of women leaders globally.  Each year, the IWF holds its Executive Development Roundtable discussions for global businesses and 25-30 women leaders participate in the IWF Fellows program.  The Fellows program holds several sessions for participants over the course of the year, two that are week long sessions in world reknowned educational institutions such as INSEAD Singapore and Harvard University in the United States. 

One of the key ways the IWF connects global women leaders is through its two conferences each year held in countries around the world.  Women leaders are recognized at the conferences with the IWF’s Hall of Fame awards.  In addition, leaders connect on global issues such as water, technology, the future of the Arab World and other issues vital to the citizens of the world.  Many of the world’s great cities have hosted IWF’s conferences, such as Hong Kong, Guyaquil, Ecuador, Miami, Florida, Montreal, Canada, Rabat, Morocco, Rome, Italy, and San Francisco, California.  Upcoming IWF Conferences are scheduled in the following cities:

Teresa V-F Weintraub, Managing Director, Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Inc., IWF Florida, is President of IWF Global.

Membership in the IWF is by invitation.

IWF Georgia

IWF Georgia was started in 1988 (then known as the Women’s Forum of Georgia), growing out of former U.S. First Lady Rosalynn Carter’s hosting of the Women and the Constitution Conference held at the Carter Center that year.  The 15 founding members were Amanda Brown-Olmstead, Rosalynn Carter, Wicke Chambers, Christine King Farris, Shirley Franklin, Coretta Scott King, Liane Levetan, Alice Parsons, Judith Sans, Ruth Schmidt, Leah Ward Sears, Betty Siegel, Dayle (Powell) Spencer, Cathy Steinberg, and Betty Tallmadge.

Today IWF Georgia continues to support the mission of the IWF to advance and empower women.  IWF Georgia sponsors non-corporate Fellows who compete to be selected into the IWF Fellows Program.  Two women have completed the IWF Fellows Program through IWF Georgia’s sponsorship: Lt. Col. Rebecca Gray and Kim Anderson, CEO of Families First.   

IWF Georgia was host of the IWF World Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Georgia, October 29-31, 2014.  IWF Georgia also hosted the IWF Conference in 1996.  IWF Georgia member Marsha Sampson Johnson serves on the IWF Board of Directors.  IWF Georgia member Liane Levetan serves on the IWF Foundation Board of Directors.