MARLBOROUGH, Mass.–The Global Women’s Leadership Network New England Chapter hosted its first virtual meeting of the year via video, with representatives from numerous U.S. states being joined by their counterparts in Brazil.
According to the Cooperative Credit Union Association, which first reported the GWLN meeting, the event began with remarks from CCUA President/CEO Ron McLean, who then welcomed specials guests Eleni (Lena) Giakoumopoulos, GWLN Program Director from the World Council of Credit Unions, and Gisele Gomes and Mari Shiozaki, volunteers at Sicredi Uniao Credit Union and GWLN Ambassadors from Brazil.
Credit union professionals from Connecticut, Maine and Vermont were also on hand to join the festivities, according to the CCUA.
Giakoumopoulos kicked off the meeting with a GWLN update from the World Council, the CCUA said. GWLN began 11 years ago and now has 110 Sister Societies in 27 countries with a presence on six continents.
‘A Safe Environment’
“She shared how a group of women from South America spoke to the World Council about having a safe environment to talk about issues and to help mentor women in the workplace, and from there the GWLN took root and grew,” the CCUA reported. “As a result of this growth, nearly 10,000 hours have been donated by GWLN members to help impact the lives of women everywhere. The vision of GWLN is to make a measurable difference in the lives of each other, credit unions, and the communities they serve.”
The report further noted Gomes and Shiozaki followed with a discussion of how in Brazil they mentor the women in credit unions as well as focus on the credit union members themselves through many leadership programs.
The evening ended with networking and a friendly game of Family Feud, the CCUA said.