Taking this summit to the top of the charts

Being the spouse of a public figure can be an opportunity or a curse. Thankfully for the women of Southern New England, Kati Machtley has chosen the former, using her role as wife of Bryant University President Ronald K. Machtley to help her blaze trails over the last decade, particularly in the workplace.
Since she came to the university – then Bryant College – in 1997, she has taken over the school’s yearly Women’s Summit and turned it into one of the hottest tickets in the region. With a wide range of workshops and speeches, Machtley said, attendees should come out of the summit with positive feelings about the direction they have taken in their careers. Or, conversely, they could be come away with a commitment to take a different path, either in their current work situation or as an entrepreneur.
“I think people feel inspired,” Machtley said. “I think they feel better about themselves after having attended.”
The summit got its start in 1997, when her husband suggested that the college create an event showcasing the different opportunities offered for women at Bryant.
Thevent in 2007, which marked the summit’s 10th anniversary, drew nearly 1,000 attendees and tackled topics ranging from workplace satisfaction, to making global connections, to finance, to using Feng Shui to create a work environment that breeds positive feelings.
It featured keynote addresses by successful women such as Tory Johnson, the founder of career-advancement service company Women for Hire, and Liz Murray, a formerly homeless woman who rose from poverty and aimlessness to attend Harvard University.
“It was very inspirational to hear her,” Machtley said. “When you hear somebody like that speak, you think, ‘Maybe I can overcome some of my own obstacles.’ ”
Featured workshop hosts in 2008 included Vicki Donlan, co-author of the book “Her Turn: Why it’s Time for Women to Lead in America,” and former Mass. Lt. Gov. Evelyn Murphy, who heads the Wage Project, aimed at eliminating the discrepancy in pay between men and women. Other topics included investing and saving, diversity, entrepreneurship, customer service and negotiation.
The event aims to attract women from across the business community, she said. Workshops are aimed at people at all different experience levels, from entry-level all the way up to executives, with some programs aimed at entrepreneurs. It also gives attendees the opportunity to network with women in similar positions, hopefully making connections that will aid their professional advancement.
“Not only does it help them to get new ideas, but it helps them to connect and to hopefully move on,” Machtley said.
Affordably priced – roughly $150 for the all-day program – the summit also provides scholarships for people who can’t afford to attend, such as students.
Machtley’s interest in women’s issues was first piqued during her 23-year-long career as a professor of nursing.
She felt that women weren’t treated equitably with their male counterparts, a problem she came to realize existed in most businesses. And, although women have made strides in the workplace since she first began teaching in 1974, the problems still persist.
Even though the gender wage gap is narrowing, women still earn, on average, 25 cents per dollar less than their male colleagues. And Machtley sees a severe lack of women in leading executive positions.
“I think it’s better than it was,” she said. “But women can’t stop trying to advance themselves. They have to continue to work harder than men to get to the top positions.” •

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