Driven by Purpose, Principles, Power and Passion Visit our website at www.bwlc.com
A Message from Our President Dear Colleague and Friend, Welcome! It is such a delight to journey with you, as we forge ahead our value proposition and rich foundation set by courageous wise women who led before us. BWLC serves as a catalyst to advance professional development and address issues unique to Black women in the Xerox workplace. We actively work to form partnerships with senior management that facilitate the hiring, retention, and development of Black women and satisfy business needs. In this historic time for leadership accomplishment for our country and our company, we are inspired to embrace possibilities and reach our full potential. We re committed to lead in response to our company s transformation and industry and global trends, unyieldingly driven by purpose, principles, power and passion! BWLC offers the opportunity to develop/hone your leadership acumen, frame and strengthen alliances with each other as well as with Senior management. It provides community engagement across the geographies, as we pay it forward. The resilience of our organization is reflected in our collective ability to support and respond to these best of times or worst of times. As a member of BWLC, I encourage each one of us to take the sometimes vulnerable but courageous step and become engaged. Whether it is an invitation to listen in together to our Sister to Sister call, or sisterly mentoring outreach, sharing a quick workflow tip, or a network connection at a Virtual or Destination Summit, our greatness comes from our ability to uplift each other notwithstanding geographies or levels. We are courageously united as members of the Black Women s Leadership Council, the premier Xerox Caucus focused on leadership development. I am personally looking forward to serving you. Welcome aboard let s connect and grow! Jennifer N. Allen BWLC President
Vision, Mission, Platform & Principles VISION Black Women will be recognized and rewarded for their worth, knowledge, skills and successes. MISSION The Black Women s Leadership Council serves as a catalyst to advance professional development and address issues unique to Black women in the Xerox workplace. We work to forge partnerships with senior management that facilitate the hiring, retention, and development of Black women and satisfy business needs. STRATEGIC PLATFORM Goal: to be in true partnership with Xerox Leadership to satisfy business results Develop Resilient Leaders (Catalyst) Deploy Education (advance professional development, promote personal effectiveness) Frame & Strengthen alliances (forge partnerships) Measure: Hiring, retention, and development of Black women GUIDING PRINCIPLES To ensure black women hold key positions within every business area of corporate America To actively prepare and mentor black women It begins and ends with sisterhood
BWLC History In the mid 1980s, Sylvia Chambers Ervin, District Manager in Syracuse, New York, had a concern with the lack of status and support systems for black women at Xerox Corporation. Her observations were that visible opportunities and pivotal assignments were being given to both majority females and black males, but not to black women. Even with the significant progress, power and leverage that many black males had gained through the black caucus efforts during the 1970s, black women were still in supporting roles at Xerox, not in leadership positions. Ms. Chambers was particularly troubled by what she describes as the massacre of black female District Managers in the 1985 reorganization that combined the Business Products Division (BPD) and the Special Business Group (SBG). Ms. Chambers was one of the highest ranking black women at Xerox in the mid 1980s. Her personal philosophy was that black women, at the very least, needed to help other black women. She took action, sending letters to all of the senior level black women at Xerox, inviting them to attend a weekend meeting in Atlanta, Georgia. She set two expectations for the attendees in the letter. The first expectation was to focus on what they could do to help each other. The second expectation was to personally pay their travel expenses. Thirteen black women attended this first watershed meeting in 1986 at Ms. Chambers home in Atlanta. The women at the famous Atlanta meeting agreed to get together twice a year. These early meetings included personal career planning sessions and networking. In 1989, the organization Sylvia understood the need for black women supporting each other at all levels... was formalized and given the name the Black Women s Leadership Council during a meeting in Stamford, Connecticut. In 1990, at a BWLC meeting in Washington, DC, a new precedent was set with the invitation of a Xerox senior executive to dialogue on black women s issues in an open forum. Paul Allaire, Xerox CEO, came to the Washington, DC meeting to address and discuss the challenges faced by black women at Xerox. The dialogue with Mr. Allaire included a discussion on why black Women s needs had not been addressed at the corporate level and why BWLC existed. It was explained to Mr. Allaire that black women faced unique challenges in the corporation because they faced both sexism and racism. In addition, it was pointed out that while majority women and black males had been promoted to top corporate positions with significant decision-making power, black women were still not participating in these opportunities. The first BWLC Conference was held in 1997 at the Xerox Training Center in Leesburg, Virginia. Black women at all grade levels, exempt and non-exempt Xerox employees attended the conference. During this era, the BWLC Foundation was formed under the community outreach umbrella to give scholarships to black female high school seniors who were college-bound. The Black Women s Leadership Council came to life in 1986 with thirteen black women. Today BWLC continues to play an invaluable leadership role in the advancement of black women at Xerox. In 2006 under the leadership of Jacqueline Denny, BWLC opened the organization to all black women. At the 2006 BWLC National Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, black women from other corporations participated as attendees, presenters, and sponsors. A senior advisor from Citigroup Realty Services was added to BWLC executive advisory board in 2006. With the expanded scope, BWLC is bringing value to black women beyond Xerox Corporation.
BWLC Executive Board Jennifer Allen President Yetta Toliver Vice - President Jeannie Slaughter Foundation President Margaret Walker Treasurer Kimberly Sealy Secretary Guyla Wrens-Armstead Director of Community Involvement & Sponsorship Jennifer Lee Communications Officer Teresa Blake Director of Membership Jessica Edmonds Marketing Officer
BWLC Chapter Directors