More than 40 Iowa State University faculty, staff and students as well as members of the community attended “Wealthy & Wise: Strategies for Workplace Success” in Carrie Chapman Catt Hall on April 22. The workshop was presented as part of Money Smart Week ®.
Lori Day visits with workshop participants during her keynote address, “Negotiate Your Way to Success.”
Following a welcome by Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics, Lori Day, president of FocusFirst Inc., presented the keynote address on “Negotiate Your Way to Success.” Her presentation focused on overcoming the obstacles that the “good girl rules” might create for women when asking for a raise or beginning salary, pursuing career opportunities and boosting one’s worth in the workplace.
“The event reiterated the importance of normalizing negotiation as an everyday practice and knowing one’s own value as a contributor to a community (whether professional or personal) in order to advocate for yourself,” said Abby Dubisar, assistant professor of English and workshop participant.
Following the keynote presentation, participants attended one of two breakout sessions – “Avoiding the Retirement Gap: Strategies to Build Your Net Worth,” by Joanne Kuster, financial educator and entrepreneur, or “The Impostor Syndrome: Recognizing Your Worth-iness,” by Kelly Winfrey, assistant professor of journalism at Iowa State and coordinator of research and outreach for the Catt Center.
Joanne Kuster gives advice on “Avoiding the Retirement Gap: Strategies to Build Your Net Worth” during her breakout session.
“I gained information that I will use as a peer mentor and a future student affairs professional,” said Nur Parpucu, a senior in genetics with a leadership studies certificate who attended the breakout session on the impostor syndrome. “Overcoming second thoughts about our own worth is really important in stepping up the ladder and reaching our potential. It was very beneficial to learn about ways to ascertain the signs of the syndrome and tools to overcome it.”
The workshop ended with a networking dinner, at which the participants and presenters had the opportunity to follow up on information presented at the sessions and share experiences.
“After the workshop I spent some time that weekend reviewing our personal retirement portfolio and made a few tweaks, thanks to input from Joanne Kuster during a discussion over dinner,” said Teresa Albertson, development coordinator for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “Overall, I found the session a valuable use of my time.”
The workshop was co-sponsored by Money Smart Week®, Bank of the West and the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics.