A Message From Our Chair:
As we close out 2022, I’d like to reflect on what was a landmark year for WISE. Not only did we celebrate our 10th Anniversary, but we also launched the WISE DEI Learning Series program, and continued to provide inspiring programming through our WISE Webinars and WISE Connect events throughout the year.
This past year has raced by and seemingly at the blink of an eye, WISE is ten years old. I’m thankful that we had time to celebrate that milestone. The 10th anniversary celebration really lasted a whole week! We started with our annual meeting. While it was still virtual this year, I thought it went off so well. We were able to share some memories from the last 10 years and honor the Top Women In Store Brands. We had a fabulous keynote panel in the Band of Sisters. Their stories were so relatable. You could tell that everybody was watching whole-heartedly and the conversation in the chat box really connected our audience.
Then, we move into PLMA. On Sunday night, we held our Sunset Reception. We originally only expected about 50 people, and we probably had over 300! It was just so much fun to see everybody, shake hands and reconnect. The energy in the room was so high! The PLMA who itself was really great. Our booth was busy with people stopping by to ask questions and see what we were about. I really hope that even more people take advantage of our programming this next year, especially our DEI programming, to see how they can benefit from being a WISE partner.
Overall, the whole week before and leading up through PLMA was just really energetic and creative and wonderful. We can’t wait for next year because we always seem to outdo ourselves each year. With the help of our wonderful volunteers and the support of our incredible sponsors, we always seem to make each year better than the last. So here’s to 2023!
-- Jen Linke, WISE Chair