Where in the World is Women Employed?

6 min readJul 30, 2025

Picture this: a dedicated group of bold, brave women, stepping from behind their desks and going out into the world, all to secure a more equitable future for you and the generations that follow. To make the world a safer, kinder, and fairer place where you don’t have to fight for what’s rightly yours. They even work hard to protect rights that have already been won, to ensure no one takes them away from you. Like how that sounds? Well, that’s exactly what Women Employed (WE) staff does each and every day.

No matter the weather, no matter the season, no matter the day, WE travels far and wide with you in mind. Whether we are present for the signing of executive orders on skills-based hiring, speaking on panels about workplace discrimination and legal protections, or traveling to Indianapolis to learn about the attacks on civil rights in the country and the outspokenness of WNBA players, we show up. We even find time to help shape the next generation of advocates and nonprofit professionals, and open the floor for them to not just learn from seasoned social justice advocates and professionals from across industries, but share their own eductional pursuits and career aspirations.

Want to learn more about the work we do beyond the walls of our office? Continue reading this month’s edition of Where in the World is Women Employed. And be sure to read all the way to the end to learn where our travels will take us next month.

Mayor’s Executive Order on Skills-Based Hiring

On Tuesday, July 1st, WE’s Vice President of Policy and Programs, Christina Warden, attended Mayor Brandon Johnson’s signing of Executive Order 2025–3: City of Chicago Skills-Based Hiring. This is a companion to the STAR (Skilled Through Alternative Routes) Ordinance that was passed in May.

Workplace Discrimination and Legal Protections in a Changing Landscape

WE’s Executive Vice President of Policy, Programs, and Research, Sharmili Majmudar, participated in a virtual panel entitled “Workplace Discrimination and Legal Protections in a Changing Landscape” on Thursday, July 10th. Hosted by the South Asian American Policy and Research Institute (SAAPRI) and South Asian American Justice Collaborative (SAAJCO) the panel and podcast event was part of their Engaged Communities Series, a year-long multimedia project featuring monthly webinars and podcast episodes.

In the series, they are exploring key issues affecting South Asian Americans and allied communities across the U.S., aiming to go beyond just sharing information. They also want to address the root causes, such as systemic discrimination, misinformation, language barriers, and lack of legal support―issues that have deep historical roots and continue to shape the challenges faced by our communities today.

Summer Leaders’ Lunch with Lisa Pattis

Women Employed’s 2025 class of The Pattis Family Foundation Summer Leadership Program, now in its 19th year, met with the program’s primary funder, Lisa Pattis, on Monday, July 21st. Our interns had the opportunity to learn more about Lisa’s life while sharing their educational pursuits and experiences with the program so far.

The Summer Leaders appreciated Lisa’s candor as she shared stories about the various educational and career pathways that led her to her current role, President and Chair of the Executive Committee of Next Chapter Holdings, the entity that manages the Pattis family’s investments. The Summer Leaders made note of some key life lessons and leadership values she imparted: be honest, stick to your guns, take risks, instead of saying “no,” identify opportunities for others to lead, and always make time to be kind.

The Women Employed team is grateful to Lisa for her steadfast support; her generosity of time, talent, and treasure; and for the years of leadership she has provided to the organization — serving on our Board of Directors from 2005–2020, in the role of Board Chair from 2013–2020.

College Changes Everything Conference

Earlier this month, we took part in the 15th annual College Changes Everything (CCE) Conference on Thursday, July 17th. Women Employed sponsored the conference along with the Illinois Student Assistance Commission (ISAC) and statewide partners.

This year’s theme was “How Do We Build Community?” Amongst the 34 interest sessions covering a wide range of topics, WE’s Vice President of Policy and Programs, Christina Warden, presented “Building an Illinois Minority Serving Institutions Network,” while our Senior Research Analyst, Corinne Kodama, co-presented “Navigating the Maze of Healthcare Training Programs and Career Pathways”, along with Efrata Sasahulih, Program & Research Coordinator, and Morgan Kelley, Research Assistant.

WE’s ASPIRE Senior Program Manager, Christina Green, and ASPIRE Program Specialist, Lauren Wheeler, were also in attendance.

Don’t Bench Our History: Breakfast and Panel Discussion

The National Women’s Law Center (NWLC) in partnership with the WNBA hosted a breakfast and panel discussion entitled “Don’t Bench Our History,” on Friday, July 18th. Taking place during WNBA All-Star Weekend, the event focused on the attacks on civil rights in the country and the outspokenness of WNBA players. WE’s Director of Advocay and Policy, Sarah Labadie, traveled to Indianapolis for the conversation that featured Terri Carmichael Jackson, Executive Director, WNBPA; Temi Fagbenle, WNBPA Leadership, Golden State Valkyries; and Fatima Goss Graves, President and CEO, NWLC; and moderated by Sharí Nycole, ESSENCE.

Power in the Paycheck: The Fight for Black Women’s Economic Justice

Thanks to the Cook County Bar Association for including Women Employed in their Black Women’s Equal Pay Day event, “Power in the Paycheck: The Fight for Black Women’s Economic Justice,” on Thursday, July 24th.

We appreciated the opportunity for WE’s President & CEO, Cherita Ellens, to be in conversation with Illinois Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton and Alexis White, MBA, Deputy Budget Director, City of Chicago, to discuss the many factors that contribute to this wage gap, including:

The reality that systematic racism and inequities in the labor market are perpetuated by gender and racial discrimination in the workplace.
Occupational segregation―Black women are more likely to be stuck in low-paid, low-opportunity jobs and less likely to be in higher-paid jobs.
The fact that women, particularly Black women, bear the brunt of home and caregiving responsibilities.
Black women hold more student debt than any other group.

Women Employed looks forward to continuing this critical conversation with the panelists and the event moderator, Jennifer C. King, Executive Director, Cook County Dept. of Human Rights and Ethics, and event organizers, Antonio Lee, President of the Cook County Bar Association, and Attorney Ivory Djahouri.

Together we will demand and win economic justice for Black women!

(BONUS: WE Summer Leadership Program intern, Tiyandza Mngomezulu, joined us at the event!)