CREATING ROOM FOR GROWTH
A little more than a year ago, on February 8th, 2023, to be exact, we held our first event in Salem, marking the official start of the Marion County Chapter. A few months later, we held our first event in Newberg, marking the start of the Yamhill Chapter. At the time, these two chapters fell under one large regional umbrella for all of Oregon, and we had yet to adopt the current regional model. Well, growth has a funny way of making you rethink things.
2023 saw explosive growth for the Women to Women Network, and one thing quickly became apparent: To maintain the close personal connections we have established with our members and to create more opportunities for our members—all of you—to connect in meaningful ways, we needed to change how we do things.
To better support our Chapter Leaders and provide more events and opportunities to members, we needed to adopt a regional model with Regional Leadership. Oregon is a large state with multiple unique regions. It would be impractical for one leader to oversee the entire state, and it would be difficult for us to truly meet our members where they are and deliver content and programming in a manner that best serves the women in that community.
So, we have adopted a regional model in conjunction with the chapter model. In Oregon, we currently have two regions: Portland Metro, with four active chapters, and Willamette Valley, with two chapters in Marion County and Yamhill County, and two more chapters slated for the Albany/Corvallis and Eugene/Springfield areas.
The Marion County and Yamhill County Chapters are growing, and as we celebrate the passing of the one-year mark for this region, we are excited at the possibilities each represents: More opportunities to connect through new programs and events (your chapter directors have some amazing ideas in store for you!), and all the women we have not yet met!
We are also looking forward to welcoming a new Regional Director on board to help guide the region's growth and the launch of two more chapters (hint—this is an open position!). It all starts with you, though. Let us know what you are looking for and how we can better serve you. Attend the monthly events and connect with your Chapter Directors—they want to know you!
