Wayne, PA – December 11, 2017 The Society of Professional Women (SPW), a program of The Main Line Chamber of Commerce, is the largest women-oriented business networking program in Greater Philadelphia, according to a new Philadelphia Business Journal ranking.
SPW was third on Philadelphia’s Largest Business Networking Associations List following the top-ranked career development group called My Career Transitions and the Urban Philly Professional Network, which was second largest.
The Society of Professional Women, which was founded in 2009, has been in the top three for the past five years in the Business Journal list. In 2017 alone 1,700 attendees have participated across multiple events offered by the multi-faceted program.
In 2018, SPW will continue its passion to educate, connect, and inspire attendees with programs that highlight best-selling authors, successful entrepreneurs, a former CNN and NPR journalist, multiple chief executives, a groundbreaking professional poker player champion and more. Topics in the year ahead include leadership, service, gender equity, turn-around, risk-taking, decision-making, accommodating non-traditional workers, career satisfaction, self-talk and much more.
Changes in 2018 will include an initiative to increase attendance among members of The Main Line Chamber Young Professionals group by offering a limited number of discounted tickets when space allows. More than one-in-three American workers today are Millennials (adults ages 18 to 34 in 2015), and this year they surpassed Generation X to become the largest share of the American workforce, according to new Pew Research Center analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data.
SPW will continue to be led by the team of Rose Ann Scanlon, an experienced executive who facilitated the program as part of a contract for the past two years, and Chamber staff member SPW Programs Director Nicole Stephenson. Scanlon is moving into a volunteer role as chairwoman of the SPW Advisory Council, which is composed of a group of business leaders who help ensure that SPW programming meets the need of its members.
“Particularly since SPW is focused on professional development, we are pleased to have seen Nicole Stephenson successfully take on a more active role at the podium of our events in recent months,” said Bernard Dagenais, President and CEO of The Main Line Chamber of Commerce. “With Rose Ann continuing on in a volunteer capacity, we are getting the best of both worlds with these outstanding women leaders. They will continue to be focused, along with the entire Chamber team of staff and volunteers, on helping our members to succeed.”
SPW’s mission is to help accelerate the advancement and expand the influence of women leaders of all professions and generations, strengthen our business community, and support the region’s non-profits. The vision of creating this balance in leadership by increasing the number of women in power throughout business, non-profit and government sectors is made possible by the tremendous support from both men and women that attend and sponsor this program.
Other female Business Networking Associations listed by the Philadelphia Business Journal include the Network of Women with Careers in Technology at 21st and National Association of Women Business Owners, South Jersey Chapter, which was 23rd on the list.
For more information about SPW programming, please contact Nicole Stephenson at Nstephenson@mlcc.org or visit spwmainline.com.
The Main Line Chamber of Commerce, on behalf of its nearly 1,000 member base, spans nine boroughs and townships constituting the region known as the Main Line. As the Main Line’s business advocate, The Main Line Chamber of Commerce is committed to enabling members to succeed, promoting economic growth in the region, developing an informed business community and enhancing the quality of life on the Main Line.
175 Strafford Avenue, Suite 130, Wayne, PA 19087 ● Phone: 610-687-6232 ● Fax: 610-687-8085 ● www.mlcc.org
