Simmons College

2012 Yokohama forum with Mayor of Yokohama Hayashi and JWLI Founder Atsuko Fish

Japan is a country facing substantial economic and social challenges, creating an important time in Japanese history. Japanese women are an untapped resource with the potential to provide leadership to address many important issues.  Further, the value of a vibrant nonprofit sector in Japanese society is beginning to be recognized, but barriers remain in place inhibiting its full potential.  Volunteerism has not yet taken hold widely and social entrepreneurship is a slowly developing concept.

The Japanese Women's Leadership Initiative (JWLI) was founded in 2006 by three visionary women in Boston, Massachusetts: Atsuko Toko Fish, Mary Lassen, and Catherine Crone Coburn.  In 2007, the Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO) at Simmons School of Management became the institutional and academic partner of JWLI.  The Fellows Program brings women from Japan to Boston to receive four weeks of direct experience and training in nonprofit management and leadership development in areas of importance to women and Japanese society.

In 2010, the leadership of the Fellows Program expanded its vision to include the possibility of holding public pedagogical Forums in Japan to provide education about the nonprofit sector, the American style of philanthropy, and to inspire women to take leadership roles.  The Forum Program is designed to reach hundreds of Japanese citizens and advocate for their involvement in addressing the needs of Japanese society.

 
2012 Fellows:
Noelle Takahashi, Rika Tanioka, Kiyono Sakakibara, and Shima Fumimoto, pictured with CGO Director Patricia Deyton.

 

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• Information on the 2013 Forum Program
• Download the 2013 JWLI Fellows Program Application in Japanese
• Download the 2013 JWLI Fellows Program Application in English.

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Center for Gender in Organizations - Simmons School of Management
300 The Fenway - Boston, MA 02115

Phone: 617.521.3824
Email: cgo@simmons.edu