The Women’s Leadership in Asia (WoLA) was a program in partnership with Ewha Womans University and two other contributors: Wesley Zaidan (Japan) and Scranton Women’s Leadership Center (Korea). The program gave women leaders an opportunity to promote gender equality, sharpen their leadership skills, and build a network of peers from diverse backgrounds. WoLA 2024 (August 19–30, 2024) included 51 participants from nine countries, with the majority coming from the Philippines and India. It fostered a sense of community for the participants, and the project concept for 2025 is designed to extend these opportunities to even more women leaders in Asia.

The United Board is also introducing new programming in the area of women’s leadership, which will address barriers to women’s advancement in academia and promote a learning environment that recognizes leadership potential of all students. These new programmatic efforts build on the United Board’s decades of support for women’s studies, women’s leadership, and gender equality in higher education in Asia.

Programs will further take the form of leadership development training and mentoring; training in conducting gender audits in academic settings; workshops on how to recognize and address bias in the curriculum; professional development programs aimed at preparing women for leadership roles in academic institutions; training in inclusive pedagogy and classroom management; digital skills and technology training to bridge the gender digital divide; workshops on self-advocacy, public speaking, and negotiation within academic settings.

For further information, contact Dr. Jakarin Srimoon (Program Director of Leadership Development) at jsrimoon@unitedboard.org or Dr. Bo Bo Lwin (Program Officer) at bblwin@unitedboard.org.