After celebrating its 25th anniversary last year, Women In Public Finance is dedicating this year to an intensive strategic planning effort in pursuit of its goal of supporting women in careers across the public finance industry.
The organization, founded in Chicago by four women with a focus on the Midwest, has since grown to include 22 local chapters across much of the country. WPF's President, Sheila Duffy, said the group has been working on a new strategic plan leading up to a planning session in Denver in June.
“We’re doing an extensive strategic planning process this year, which is really exciting," said Duffy, who is the executive director of the Burridge Center for Finance at the University of Colorado at Boulder's Leeds School of Business. “It’s a work in progress. We’re really dedicating the whole year to this process.”
WPF's stated mission is to "advance women’s leadership opportunities by fostering relationships and providing educational activities and forums." Its officers and directors, 19 in total,
Duffy said the strategic plan won't change what WPF does, but will change how it goes about that mission.
“It’s really an exciting time to be involved," she said.
Duffy said she connected with WPF and its work during her attendance at the group's 2015 conference in Chicago, an experience that really grabbed her attention. Prior to becoming the group's president, she was a vice president last year.
WPF provides networking opportunities, education, and operates both mentorship and scholarship opportunities for women working in or interested in careers in public finance. The competitive scholarship program is intended to encourage women studying public finance, and to support women working in the field who want to advance by obtaining industry specific certifications.
“We’re really out there supporting young women who want to get into this industry," Duffy said.
Duffy also stressed WPF's dedication to fostering diversity.
“Women in public finance is about diversity, equity, and inclusion," she said.
The group also spotlights women who have made significant contributions to public finance. WPF honored 20 such women last year, and Duffy said it will continue to do so throughout this year.
She said the mentorship program continues to grow quickly each year. It went virtual in 2020 as necessary due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but it will host in-person events this year. WPF's 2022 annual conference is set for Sept. 22-23 in Scottsdale, Arizona.
