Sept. 24, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by MetaBank.

They came from different departments and different career stages but with one important thing in common: They wanted to grow professionally and personally while supporting their colleagues.

The event was the inaugural Meta Women’s Network Leadership Conference – a capstone program for a group that continually organizes ways to connect women at Meta companywide.

“We wanted to really bring members together and help provide inspiration and challenge and empower them in their personal and professional lives,” said Jennifer Weidenbacher, director of portfolio risk management.

Using the theme Actually, I Can, a planning committee within the women’s network created a daylong agenda featuring speakers and a moderated panel that shared insights around leadership, well-being, workplace, teamwork and home life.

Speakers included retired South Dakota Supreme Court Justice Judith Meierhenry and Melissa Hiatt, the pediatric chaplain at Sanford Health and president of Levav Leadership Consulting, among others.

“We had a group of really great women planning and steering this committee,” said Jeanni Stahl, senior vice president and chief risk officer, who served as an executive sponsor for the committee.

“I was so impressed by the professionalism and speaker lineup. It’s really cool that Meta would invest in a conference like this.”

The day concluded with a panel discussion featuring six women in different roles and career stages at Meta who discussed “balancing work, play and everything in between.”

“It helped pull everyone together and recognize that we are all approaching things from our unique lens, but there are many similarities between us and how we experience things,” said Ashley Sorenson, director of product technology, who moderated the panel and was part of the planning committee for the event.

Supporting the growth that Meta has experienced over the past several years, the conference was both timely and refreshing for attendees, added Weidenbacher. “It was an opportunity for us to get to know each other and be reminded we’re part of a broader community.”

The tagline for this year’s theme was “By empowering yourself, you can empower others.” That fits the experience Meta advocates for, Sorenson said.

“In other places I’ve worked, you’re left on your own to spearhead your own development,” she said. “And the unique thing about Meta is they demonstrate their commitment to partner with individual contributors up to senior executives by supporting both professional and personal development opportunities, which is just special. It stands out.”

Other valuable elements to the conference included a social hour and an “executive bookshelf,” where Meta senior leaders each provided a book recommendation. Copies of these books, along with a 30-minute session with the leader who recommended the book, were drawn as prizes at the conference.

Feedback following the conference was strong.

“People were vocal about how wonderful it was,” Sorenson said. “So I think it speaks volumes to all the planning that was put into practice and how successful it was overall. We’re definitely looking at a larger option for next year to grow it enterprisewide.”

The Meta Women’s Network counts about 125 members companywide. It was formed in 2014 and offers programming throughout the year, including quarterly gatherings, book clubs, guest speakers and philanthropic initiatives.

“I think it’s really unique,” said Maggie Fogle, an IS QA test analyst. “I’ve worked at other financial institutions, and this is the first opportunity I’ve had to be on a network for a company that is encouraging women to be their best and support each other in our careers.”

Next up for the Women’s Network is a monthlong effort called Paint Meta Pink in October, which will include a speaker from Sanford Research, a mammogram bus and a chili cook-off fundraiser for cancer research.

As an extension of the conference, the group also will offer a book club this fall around one of the leadership books discussed.

“Meta is unmatched as far as its commitment to helping women,” Stahl said.

“As we talked about putting on a conference and inviting women to take an entire day away from their jobs, there was no question that Meta would allow it. Meta has invested financially, and they’ve invested time, and I can’t say enough about their willingness to support the work of this group.”