3rd Annual Symposium Recap

The 3rd Annual AcademyWomen Symposium, held October 20-22, was a fabulous success! The Symposium’s theme, “Leading on all Fronts” highlighted the many ways in which we have chosen to define ourselves through the gift we have fought hard to learn, the gift of leadership. We demonstrate this gift in every aspect of our lives in our “…ever changing roles as mother, daughter, sister to worker, fighter, and survivor”...we lead on all fronts. Every service was represented at the Symposium with discussions focusing on how to facilitate successful, fulfilling lives, both in and out of the military. The symposium provided all participants the chance to reconnect with old friends, make new connections, and refocus with new perspective.

Our thanks to the 45+ speakers who shared with us their life’s passion and wisdom. These inspiring speakers shared their triumphs and in so doing, fueled the flame that lies within every woman to achieve her own dreams. They shared personal stories of joy and their struggles to find balance, reach personal goals, and achieve happiness. Our speakers were comprised of up-and-coming and senior leaders in the military, government and civilian sectors. What an amazing opportunity it was to experience the juxtaposition of talent our speakers represented: youth contrasted by experience, civilian paired with military, theoretical meshed with operational. Cadets and midshipmen exchanged thoughts and ideas with generals and admirals. Corporate CEOs and senior military leaders united on the same stage to share common lessons of leadership and success. Academians meshed theory with the day-to-day battlefield challenges that our combat women officers retold.

From the moment you entered the auditorium, there was a palpable sense that there was a powerful force at work in the room. We were amongst individuals who truly understood, and in most cases, shared our common history, our struggles, our experiences, our successes...and most importantly, our strength. We were sisters who traveled from across the United States to be together and celebrate our common bond. Let us all remember that in unity there is strength. AcademyWomen exists to support you. We support you in your challenges. We support your successes. We support your dreams. We believe in your greatness and the potential that lies within.

If you weren’t able to join us for this year’s symposium, please plan to join us next year. Until then, stay involved with AcademyWomen in a way that interests you personally, such as mentoring, program planning or contributing to the newsletter. Become involved. Support AcademyWomen as we continue to grow and add value to women’s lives. Our thanks to Darlene Iskra who shares with us below, her personal account of the 3rd Annual Symposium...Enjoy!

By Darlene M. Iskra

The third-annual Academy Women Symposium was recently held at the Women’s Memorial at the Arlington National Cemetery, a fitting venue for a weekend of camaraderie, discussion and learning. The event was open to all women graduates from any of the service academies (USMA, USNA, USAFA, USCGA, VMI, The Citadel, Merchant Marine Academies) as well as other interested women (and men!). The theme “Leading on all Fronts” was a tribute to the power of women’s leadership as well as to “Womanpower”. The symposium focused on the power that women have as a group, as well as how individual women can succeed in a male dominated workforce. The key to success is Networking. While some have perceived this to be a “four-letter word”, the vast majority agree that without it, success will be more difficult, if it occurs at all.

Women have not always had the opportunity, or the encouragement, for networking with others, especially with other women...The focus of Academy Women is to change (this) paradigm by reaching out to women graduates. Academy Women hopes to provide women with the tools to succeed in a man’s world, through mentoring, education, and development of both social and professional networks.

The Symposium is the primary means of educating and bringing women together in a spirit of friendship and solidarity. Attendees included women academy grads who are either still in the military, or who have gone on to distinguished civilian careers, retired women officers, as well as the cadets and midshipmen of the military academies. The focus was on providing information to women who were either interested in pursuing the upper echelons of a military career, or an alternative path in the civilian sector.

The agenda was ambitious, running from 5:30pm to 9pm Friday night, 8am through 9pm Saturday night, and 8am through 5pm Sunday evening. The panel sessions were geared primarily towards women’s military careers, but some panels were also infused with civilian leaders. Panels included leadership lessons from the Iraq/Afghanistan conflicts, status of women at the academies, leadership lessons from our brightest **Stars** (General and Flag officers), perspectives of current cadets/midshipmen, and the importance of networking. There were also three breakout sessions. The session on Healing was helpful in allowing current and former students to understand their experiences and move past the pain. The session on Work-Life balance presented real-life experiences and lessons learned in being both a competent and productive member of both the military and your family. And there was a movie screening and discussion of Brats Our Journey Home, about life growing up as a child of military parents. There was also adequate time for networking and reunion between sessions and during the receptions, lunches and dinners provided.

Academy Women took advantage of the numerous graduates of the military academies to bring in high achieving women as guest speakers and panel members. For example, at this symposium were BG Janet Therianos, a 1980 grad and the first USAFA grad to become a general officer; RADM (S) Michelle Howard, a 1982 grad and the first USNA grad to become a Flag officer; BG Allison Hickey, a 1980 USAFA grad, BG(S) Michelle Johnson, a 1981 USAFA grad, and CDR Lisa Nowak, a 1985 USNA grad and NASA astronaut.

The tie to the military academies was also a draw for other women officers willing to discuss their leadership and career success. These women included Lt Gen Terry Gabreski, the highest ranking woman in the Air Force, MG (ret) Irene Trowell-Harris, ANG, the Director of the Center for Women Veterans, BG Wilma Vaught, USAF, President and founder of Women in Military Service for America, and BG (ret) Pat Foote, USA, President of our own Alliance for National Defense.

The most important concepts that threaded throughout the conference were those of commitment, leadership and networking. In aspiring or rising to the top, many panel members emphasized the concept of commitment, not only to the organization, but to yourself and others. Commitment includes risk-taking, accepting challenges, having a positive attitude, and having a vision. Part of risk-taking included moral courage, what others have referred to as “speaking truth to power”. One must be willing to tell the boss when he or she is wrong. Forging ahead without a clear vision, or with a misguided vision, is a strategy for failure, not success. Knowing yourself and committing to excellence is a major aspect of both personal and professional mission accomplishment.

The second concept was leadership. Leadership can take many forms, not the least of which is standing up for yourself, and your subordinates; listening to others and asking for help when you need it; treating others with respect, and having moral courage and integrity. Leadership is accepting people for who they are, yet challenging them to greater achievements. It is leading by example, and following when needed. Leadership is working hard, and doing what must be done. Leadership is “blooming where you are planted.”

The third concept was networking. Within this I include mentoring, because it is actually networking on an interpersonal level. Networking is just another word for building relationships. Networking is not just reaching out for other’s help, but it is also reaching out to help others. It includes knowing yourself and drawing on your strengths, as well as knowing your weaknesses. In many ways, a successful mission can not be accomplished without networking. Success requires teamwork, and teamwork requires reaching out and creating relationships with others. And that is networking.

The final lesson I took away from this conference was the concept of figuring out what “it” is. How do you define success? How do you know when you have achieved “it”?

Defining success is key to developing your self-confidence. Each of the panel members had different ways of documenting goals and defining success. The important lesson in this was the process of achieving various goals without losing sight of what is important in your life.

Overall, the symposium was a success...Unlike the one-time 30 year celebrations of women at the various academies, the Academy Women organization provides a continuity of empowerment for military women. Until discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity and so on is erased, as General Foote, President of AND (Alliance for National Defense) declared at one session, organizations such as Academy Women are needed and military women should be proud to attend and be affiliated with them...

Darlene Iskra completed a twenty-one year Naval career at the grade of Commander (O-5). During her career, she was a groundbreaker for women in the military. She was among the first women to qualify as a Surface Warfare Officer and to serve as a sea-going officer. She was the first woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy, and the first woman to command a ship in a combatant zone, the USS Opportune ARS-41, which she took to war during Desert Storm in January 1991. Additionally, she was one of the first female Navy diving officers, completing the Naval School of Diving and Salvage in May 1980. Following her retirement from the U.S. Navy in April 2000, Darlene began her graduate level studies at the University of Maryland. In 2002, she was selected as a Congressional Fellow for Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA). In that capacity, Ms. Iskra was instrumental in passing legislation that changed the Department of Defense (DOD) policy on military women stationed in Saudi Arabia. Darlene holds an M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the Naval War College, Newport, Rhode Island and an M.A. in Sociology from the University of Maryland. She has published in Current Sociology and Proceedings on issues related to the military and women. Current research interests include issues of gender integration in the military, non-traditional military families, and the integration of work and family in the military. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate in sociology at the University of Maryland College Park. Her work focuses on military and social issues.