Leadership Development 
Developing leadership knowledge, skills, and abilities in girls and women across Utah is central to ensure that girls and women—and their families—better thrive. Developing male allies is also critical to this spoke and the work of A Bolder Way Forward. Some of the initial elements of this spoke include helping more people understand what leadership means and how women lead in all kinds of ways, from their homes to their churches, communities, and workplaces. It will encompass efforts to help women and girls understand their gifts, talents, strengths, purpose, and calls. Important elements are strengthening a leadership identity, understanding our biases, and developing more traditional leadership skills and abilities. It will include development initiatives and opportunities, from girls’ camps to executive education, and increasing mentoring, sponsorship, and coaching skills, while gathering and sharing best practices for programming and metrics to increase effectiveness and collaboration across the state. To learn more, check out the resource box below.
Spoke Leaders
Shirlayne Quayle
CEO, PowerLane
LinkedIn Profile
Shirlayne Quayle is Founder/CEO of PowerLane, Co-founder of the Women’s Influence Network and TimeMaker Remodeling and Design. An innovator, strategist, coach, and community-builder, she champions women and girls, male allyship, entrepreneurship, and housing attainability.
Jamie Shaw
Board Chair, WIN
LinkedIn Profile
Jamie Shaw is the Chair of the Women's Influence Network, an organization dedicated to cultivating and amplifying women's influence to shape a vibrant community. Professionally, she is the Operations Director of a consulting firm, with a strong background in operations, resource planning, and team management.
Kelleen Potter
Executive Director, URCV
LinkedIn Profile
Kelleen Potter is the Executive Director of Utah Ranked Choice Voting, a 501c3 working to support the democracy reform ranked choice voting through education, local election support, and legislative advocacy. She has served on the City Council and as Mayor of Heber City, adjunct professor at UVU, and is an advocate.
Bold Vision & Goals
To make Utah a place where more girls and women can thrive, the Leadership Development spoke leaders and partners have crafted the vision and goals below.
Vision: To significantly increase the number and percentage of women leaders in all settings within Utah. This includes creating opportunities for every Utah woman and girl to envision themselves as leaders, develop leadership skills, and lead in any setting they choose. It also includes increasing the number of male allies and individuals understanding and confronting their own biases.
Goals:
- Increase the percentage of Utah women in leadership. [Metric Dashboard]
- Increase women in executive positions by 4% in 2026 and by 11% in 2030.
- Increase women in business leadership (e.g., CEO, board, president, top managers) by 20% by 2026 and by 60% by 2030.
- Increase women in K-12 leadership including district superintendents (to 25% by 2030), high school principals (to 50% by 2030), and high school assistant principals (to 50% by 2030).
- Increase women in higher education leadership to 40% by 2026 and 50% by 2030.
- Increase women in government leadership at the state and local levels to 40% by 2026 and 50% by 2030.
- Increase women in elected office (in support of the Political & Civic Representation Spoke goals).
- Maintain the percentage of women leaders in nonprofit settings, and some of the K-12, Higher Education, and County Government leadership categories. [Metric Dashboard]
- Increase the percent of women in the higher income earning category ($100,000+) (in support of the Gender Pay Gap Spoke Goal #2).
- Increase the number of quality leadership development programs for girls and women by 10% by 2026 and by 25% by 2030. [Metric Forthcoming]
- Increase the number of individuals who are completing quality leadership development programs by 20% by 2026 and by 50% by 2030. [Metric Forthcoming]
- Increase the number of women program completers who are advancing in their careers so that (1) by 2026, 30% of participants have advanced in their careers within 2 years of completing the program and, (2) by 2030, 50% of the participants have advanced within 2 years of completing the program. [Metric Forthcoming]
- Change Utahns’ agreement (understanding and perceptions) in the following areas: [Metric Dashboard]
- I aspire to be a leader. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 25% by 2030]
- Others consider me a leader. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 25% by 2030]
- It is important for me to pursue opportunities to develop leadership abilities. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 25% by 2030]
- There are opportunities and resources around me to help me develop leadership skills. [Increase women’s agreement by 10% by 2026 and 25% by 2030]
- People in Utah are interested in understanding and confronting their biases. [Increase agreement by 5% by 2026 and 15% by 2030]
- People in Utah are aware of their own biases. [Increase agreement by 5% by 2026 and 15% by 2030]
- Increase Utahns’ agreement (understanding and perceptions) around elements of male allyship (in support of the Male Allyship Impact Team).
Thriving Statement: Women and girls thrive when they envision themselves as leaders, have access to leadership development opportunities, and lead in any setting they choose.
- What Utahns Need to Know
- Informational Video
- Spoke Introduction Podcast
- Living Room Conversation Guide
- LinkedIn Group
- November Newsletter
- Utah Bold Leader Nomination Form
- Leadership Presentation Slides - March 19, 2024
- Workplace Survey for Businesses/Companies
- Research Summary
- Exploring Your Purpose: Talents, Callings, and Influence
- Male Allyship - A New Conversation
- Why Do We Need More Women Leaders in Utah?
- Women in Leadership Executive Speaker Series
- The Status of Women Leaders in Utah Public Education (K–12): A 2022 Update
- 4 Things Men Can Do To Be A Male Ally
Partners
Working Group Leaders
- Best Practices for Organizations (Girls & Young Women): Stephanie Smith (Founder & Life Coach, The Path Made Possible) & Sabina Swoboda (Strategic Initiatives Leader)
- Best Practices for Organizations (Women): Keri Mecham (Director of Career Services, Provo College) & Marianne Downing (Owner & Lead Consultant, Mission Aligned)
- Communications: Amy Upchurch (Communications Coordinator, Envision Utah) & Allegra Sturdevant (Communications Specialist, Envision Utah)
- Data
- Women College Students: Kristyn Allred (Director - She's Daring Mighty Things, Utah State University) & Ruchi Watson (Managing Director/CEO - Goff Strategic Leadership Center, University of Utah)
What You Can Do
Encourage men of all ages to participate in an interactive course titled “Male Allyship: A New Conversation.” Host a group of 3-5 men in a 5-part series of engaging discussions and activities.
Encourage women of all ages to participate in an interactive course titled “Exploring Your Purpose: Talents, Callings, and Influence.” Host a group of 3-5 women in a 4-part series of engaging discussions and activities.
Talk to girls and young women in your life about what they are doing to prepare to become leaders. Help them understand what leadership is and how they can lead in various settings from home and family to business, government, and beyond.
Get Engaged: Ways to get engaged include assessing if your organization(s) can support the development or delivery of leadership training and/or mentorship programs; joining a working group; examining the gender breakdown of current leaders and the pool of potential leaders in your organization(s) to better understand how leadership development could support your goals; actively watch for opportunities to mentor women and girls, helping them envision a future as a leader, while helping them recognize and build their skills; and read and utilize existing women’s leadership research and resources. Thank you for your interest!
Laney Benedict
Spoke Coordinator
LinkedIn Profile
laneysconnection@gmail.com