INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S FORUM (IWF)

Women's Forum West is one of the founding member forums and the Northern California affiliate of the International Women's Forum (IWF).

The International Women's Forum is a global organization of preeminent women of significant and diverse achievement. Our members range from entrepreneurs and corporate executives to artists, humanitarians and political leaders. We come together across provincial and national boundaries to share knowledge and ideas, to enrich each other's lives, to provide a network of support and to promote opportunities for women in leadership.

Women's Forum West is one of 60 affiliated forums in 21 nations. Together, we are advancing women's leadership across careers, cultures and continents by connecting the world's most preeminent women of significant and diverse achievement.

We have no political agenda. No member need ever feel pressured to take a stand with which she does not agree. Our focus is promoting women in leadership and shaping a transferable legacy for future women leaders.

Promoting Leadership Together

Local chapters provide learning opportunities and camaraderie for women leaders in our own communities. We share ideas and stories informally over dinners in one another's homes. Thanks to the unparalleled connections of our members, we go behind the scenes at leading-edge organizations and cultural institutions.

International events create a global meeting place where we can refresh, resolve and make plans that open doors for women and girls throughout the world. At IWF's international conferences, we meet among our peers in a non-competitive environment where meaningful friendships and alliances can flourish. The next North American conference is scheduled for October 2011 in Washington, D.C.  An international conference is also held in the spring; in May 2010 the last international event was held in Ecuador.  Spring 2011 will find IWF in Rome. We are very excited that the IWF World Leadership Conference will be held in San Francisco in October 2012.

IWF is dedicated to learning-for future as well as present members. Our unique Leadership Foundation helps prepare emerging leaders to realize their potential and promotes a culture of mentorship among women.

Honoring Our Role Models

Each year, IWF recognizes two or three exceptional women by inducting them into our International Hall of Fame.

Past recipients include: Margaret Thatcher, Former Prime Minister of Great Britain; Roberta Bondar, Canadian Astronaut; Maya Angelou, American Writer and Performer; Mary Robinson, Former President of Ireland; Louise Arbour, UN High Commissioner of Human Rights and former Canadian Supreme Court Justice.