NV IWF - Award Process and Application

THE CAROLYN M. SPARKS FOUNDER’S AWARD

The Nevada International Women’s Forum (NVIWF) is proud to sponsor two outstanding mid-career women to attend The World Leadership Conference in North America. The conference is conducted annually by the International Women’s Forum, which draws women from more than 50 countries. They are the world’s leading architects, advocates, catalysts, and pioneers of change – women who are re-drawing the map for the way we’ll live, work, produce, and maintain healthy communities in the coming years. As our global economies restructure and reshape business, politics, environments, access and opportunity, IWF’s cutting–edge conferences harness those “must-have” conversations in order to educate, inform and inspire our women leaders and our partners about the change that is needed.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE:

IWF Nevada intends to sponsor one woman who is a senior manager in a larger enterprise, either public or non-profit, and one woman who is an entrepreneur business owner or leader in a smaller non-profit organization. See the criteria below.

WHAT DO AWARD RECIPIENTS RECEIVE:

All travel and meeting expenses associated with the International Forum's World Leadership Conference will be paid for by NVIWF as part of our sponsorship.

The time commitment expected includes the actual World Leadership Conference dates, travel time prior to and after the conference, a pre-conference meeting to meet NVIWF members, and a post-World Leadership Conference meeting (date TBD) for award recipients to present on their conference experiences.

AWARD SELECTION CRITERIA

NVIWF is seeking outstanding women applicants as evidenced & measured by most or all the following:

Substantial professional/work experience (10+ years) together with outstanding accomplishments.
Superior intellectual capabilities, as evidenced by academic, trade and industry distinctions, third party recommendations, and a personal essay.
Superior leadership capabilities and potential, as evidenced by professional, volunteer, and trade/industry roles and independent recommendations.
Strength of character and impeccable ethics.
Commitment to participate fully in all activities and programs of the IWF World Leadership Conference
Women who can leverage the mentoring at The Conference into future career accomplishments and community involvement.
Must be a US Citizen and resident of the State of Nevada

APPLICATION GUIDELINES

Applications will be accepted from February 15, 2023 through midnight April 30, 2023. Applications that are not complete as of midnight April 30, 2023 will not be considered.

APPLICATION FORM

The online application form includes uploads in PDF format of the following:

Resume or CV
Biography
Personal Essay (see item A. below)
Letters of Recommendation (see item B. below)
Signed Letter of Intent (see item C. below)

NOTE: Please write your personal essay prior to beginning the online application form, as the essay will need to be uploaded or copy/pasted into the online system. Limit the essay to 1000 words in length.

A. PERSONAL ESSAY

Please incorporate answers to the following items into your personal essay (in any order). Ensure the essay is narrative and not a set of separate answers to individual questions.

Who or what has been the most significant influence on who you are today – personally and as a leader?
What professional accomplishment are you most proud of, and why?
What volunteer, civic or community accomplishment are you most proud of, and why?
What are your professional goals (both medium & long term) and how do you think attending the IWF World Leadership Conference might help you achieve them?
What do you hope to gain by attending the Conference?
How might you bring things you learn back to your community and organization?
One objective of the International Women’s Forum is to facilitate and foster a mentorship culture among accomplished women. Describe how you have benefited from a relationship with a mentor or mentee over the course of your career, and how attending the Conference might expand affect your mentor and mentee relationships.
The IWF Leadership Conference brings together women from diverse professions, cultures, races, and nationalities to enhance sharing of perspectives and to learn from one another. How do you see yourself bringing key learnings from the Conference to your professional organization and community?

B. Letters of Recommendation

Letters of recommendation must be submitted with the application from:

1. Large Enterprise/ Large non-profit Applicant: The most senior person in your organization. Entrepreneurial Business/ Small Non-Profit Applicant: The largest or most valuable client with whom you do business or whom you support, or key Board member, or most senior person in the organization (if it is not you).
2. Someone you know professionally who is employed outside your organization.
3. Optional: a personal recommendation from someone (e.g., a volunteer or community organization).

C. SIGNED LETTER OF INTENT

Signed letter of intent (you can download the template here) – scan and upload in PDF format

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AND PROCESS

Candidates must submit all required components of this application to the Nevada International Women’s Forum. The submittal deadline is April 30, 2023. Everything must be submitted via the online form. You may return to the multipage application as often as necessary to complete it.

Candidates will be notified in early June if they are selected for a zoom interview that will be conducted in late June. In early July, NVIWF will select award recipients and notify all applicants.

Questions? Contact us at nviwf.gm@gmail.com

702-857-8754 • P.O. Box 231412 • Las Vegas, NV 89105

Nevada IWF is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization.