Meet Gina Dhanani, Chair of IMPACT 2019

How long have you been involved with CWLI?

I’ve been involved for about 3 years. Ronelle Sellers actually introduced me to CWLI. I was then accepted into the Women Mentoring Women Class of 2016. Since then, I’ve served on the Women Mentoring Women committee, I helped organize the WMW Alumnae gathering and most recently, I was appointed Chair of the IMPACT committee and to the Board of Directors for 2019.

How many IMPACT events have you attended?

I’ve attended two IMPACT events – Randi Zuckerberg in 2017 and Jennifer Fleiss in 2018.

What inspired you to become involved with IMPACT?

I wanted to participate on the IMPACT committee after attending in 2017 because I found Randi Zuckerberg’s speech to be really inspiring.

What are you most excited about concerning IMPACT 2019?

In the past, we’ve had a lot of entrepreneurship-focused speakers and that appeals to a certain type of woman, but I think Katty Kay’s research on confidence and women in the workforce can appeal to all women. Every woman can relate to Katty because we have all doubted ourselves at some point in our career, and I think Katty is coming to Chattanooga at a great time because CWLI is moving into a new era and IMPACT is going to set the tone for where we are headed as an organization. I also encourage attendees to look into reading Katty’s books before the event, especially The Confidence Code. After reading it, I felt relieved knowing I’m not the only person that can sometimes lack confidence. If Katty Kay and Claire Shipman can acknowledge that they don’t have the most confidence in the world, it really gives me hope and I felt like I could relate to them.

What do you see as the value of the annual IMPACT event to members and nonmembers alike?

I think that men would benefit from attending this year’s event. A lot of employers will be in the room and Katty’s speech could open their eyes to the benefits that Katty outlines in her books, like how employing women and giving them flexibility can add to our community.

What are you most looking forward to with this year’s keynote speaker Katty Kay?

I’m excited to get some one on-one-time with Katty and learn from her experience as a woman in the workforce. I’m also interested in hearing her thoughts as a journalist working in the #MeToo era.

To learn more about IMPACT 2019 and purchase tickets, visit cwli.org/impact.