Gender Equity Leadership Initiative

Our mission is to foster advocacy and leadership skills through training, funding, networking, and mentorship focused on gender equity.

What We Do

We provide opportunities for students to explore leadership skills within the gender equity field. Students can hone their skills, meeting leaders and community partners from around the globe.

Coordination

Coordinate opportunities for students to explore the field.
Events

Sponsor on-campus events, speakers, and scholars.
Networking and Mentorship

Host opportunities for students to connect with alumni/ae, community partners, speakers, and mentors in the field through BardWorks pathways.
Funding and Work Opportunities

Provide internship and community project based funding through TLS and Community Action Awards. Foster connections with organizations that provide early career experiences for students to explore.
Training

Host trainings with local professionals to help students build concrete leadership skills.

Get Involved

There are several ways to get engaged with the Gender Equity Leadership Initiative:
- Visit our website regularly for updates on upcoming events and opportunities
- Speak with the Career Development Office (CDO) to learn more about available opportunities in the gender equity field, including internships, community projects, and networking events
- Participate in events to help drive meaningful change and provide valuable experience in advocacy and leadership

Events and Engagements

Through our community engagement efforts, we hosted several events to connect students with opportunities and scholars in the gender equity field. Check out some recent highlights here.

Speaker: Professor Carol Gilligan (New York University)

March 29, 2024
Professor Carol Gilligan's book talk on In a Human Voice (Polity Press, 2023) attracted an audience of over 100 students and faculty followed by a smaller career oriented talk with students in psychology. The audience was captivated by her theories on gender socialization and the relational nature of humanity. The high volume of questions posed reflected the deep interest and prior engagement with her work.
Harm Reduction Talk

March 12, 2024
Yasmin Cader and Lisa Daugaard, co-executive director of policy for the Public Defender Association, led an engaging discussion on harm reduction strategies with a more intimate, focused group of students. Students engaged deeply in the conversation which ranged from general harm reduction questions to Daugaard’s experience at Purpose Dignity Action (PDA), an extensive resource program based in harm reduction in Seattle.
Civil Liberties in America Today

March 11, 2024
This event featured Yasmin Cader, ACLU’s deputy legal director, and Leon Bostein, president of Bard College. It facilitated a discussion on civil liberties in the US, providing a platform for students to engage directly with the speakers.

On-Campus Partners

Office of the Dean of Inclusive Excellence
The dean of inclusive excellence acts as the primary contact for students, staff, and faculty in promoting an inclusive campus climate. The dean's office presents events and programming, coordinates training, and convenes the Council for Inclusive Excellence.
Center for Civic Engagement
The CCE initiates programs, fosters sustained partnerships, and supports and connects students, faculty, and staff of Bard’s local, national, and international networks as they work to make a difference in the civic life of their communities.
Trustee Leader Scholars
Students in the TLS program propose, design, and implement civic engagement projects based on their own passionate interests. TLS projects are local, national, and international, and may be initiated at any point during a student’s college career. The hallmark of a TLS project is the student’s ownership of the work. And sometimes, a TLS project grows beyond a student’s highest aspirations.
Open Society University Network Social Entrepreneurship
In this collaborative, cross-institution course in social entrepreneurship, students form teams to ideate and develop models for social enterprises. Social entrepreneurship is the process of building new organizations that offer scalable solutions to social and environmental challenges. Social enterprise can be either for profit, or nonprofit, but the key is the ambition to address societal problems at scale. The practice of social entrepreneurship explores the full suite of liberal learning: critical analysis, persuasive writing, oral communication, quantitative reasoning, design thinking, and group social dynamics.
Open Society University Network Civic Engagement Initiative
With a belief in the public purpose of higher education, civic engagement across the Open Society University Network promotes best practices and bold new initiatives to help students, faculty, and institutions realize their full potential as community actors and educators.
Career Development Office
Helping students translate their liberal arts education to the workplace, CDO staff meet with students one-on-one throughout their college life and after graduation to connect their skills, interests, and values to a career path.
BardWorks
BardWorks encourages students to translate their liberal arts degree and skills into a rewarding career path. The program focuses on connecting students to the Bard network while developing their professional skills. Students hear from expert panels, take part in small-group discussions, and have the opportunity to be paired with a BardWorks mentor.
Dean of the College
The Office of the Dean of the College is responsible for the undergraduate academic program and for supporting the faculty and staff who bring it to life. The Dean’s Office upholds the faculty governance structure of the College while overseeing the undergraduate curriculum and leading discussions of pedagogical and curricular innovation. The office provides both opportunities and resources designed to encourage members of the Bard faculty to pursue their finest work.
Office of Title IX and Nondiscrimination
The Office of Title IX and Nondiscrimination Bard College is committed to providing a learning and working environment that is free of bias, prejudice, discrimination, and harassment—an environment in which all feel welcome and are treated fairly and with respect.

Community Partners

BeckHook Pride Strives to support the LGBTQIA+ community members of Rhinebeck, Red Hook, and beyond with activities and programs that promote visibility, equity, and advocacy.
Center for the Women of New York CWNY works to ensure that every woman in the state of New York can thrive. They offer classes, support groups, and workshops to support women’s empowerment and independence, and advocate for gender equality by forging partnerships, participating in women’s marches, and organizing symposia. CWNY helps women in crisis through referrals to social services.
Dutchess County Family Services Highlights services for low-income individuals, children, adults, and families.
Dutchess County Pride Offers a wide array of programs for youth and adults in the LGBTQ+ community, as well as a variety of resources.
Working for Women Enables businesses to be a force for social good and elevate women in the workforce.

Want to Learn More?

Reach out to us!

Erin Cannan

VP for Civic Engagement

[email protected]
Jaime Blois

Gender Equity Intern

[email protected]

Gender Equity Leadership Initiative

What We Do

Get Involved

Events and Engagements

On-Campus Partners

Office of the Dean of Inclusive Excellence

Center for Civic Engagement

Trustee Leader Scholars

Open Society University Network Social Entrepreneurship

Open Society University Network Civic Engagement Initiative

Career Development Office

BardWorks

Dean of the College

Office of Title IX and Nondiscrimination

Community Partners

Want to Learn More?