Panel at Liberty discusses the strengths and challenges of being a female leader featuring mayor of Lynchburg Stephanie Reed

In honor of Women’s History Month, Liberty’s Division for Inclusion, Diversity and Equity held a panel discussing women in leadership Tuesday, March 21. Established women in the LU community and Lynchburg area shared their experiences and advice to students on how to lead well as women. 

The panel included six women, all of whom have strong faith backgrounds and use their platform as a resource to share the gospel and make their faith known. The event was moderated by LU Shepherds Courtney Smith and Leah Summers. 

The moderators led the conversation on a wide variety of topics regarding women in leadership. They talked about how empathy in women is a strength in leadership, trials of being in a male-dominant workforce, how to remain confident, the challenges of being in leadership and much more. 

“We see the heart of compassion at a very young age in girls. And that only continues to grow,” Mayor Stephanie Reed said as she discussed the strengths that are often apparent in women who hold leadership positions. 

The empathy of a woman is such a unique characteristic that allows her to be approachable in the workplace. The panel stressed that it’s not that men lack this quality, but that the Lord has allowed it to especially be a strength in women. Along with strengths, the panel also considered the challenges of being a woman in leadership. 

“One challenge is remaining confident, even when you are the only woman in the room,” Kendra Johnson, director of the Ph.D. in counselor education and supervision program,  said. “(I) remind myself that my identity and worth is in the Lord, and he defines who I am.” 

All six women expressed how finding worth in the Lord is more important than what colleagues or the world believe about them in their workplace. Having their identity in the Lord is what allows them to have confidence. 

Reich discussed how easy it is to sit back and let the world be discouraging. She compared the excuses that Moses gave to God when he was instructed to free the Israelites to the excuses some women are tempted to give when they feel a specific call. Reich and the rest of the panel encouraged everyone that feels called to follow the Lord’s direction wholeheartedly. 

“If the Lord has called you to a specific position, he will also equip you to fully complete those tasks,” Ashley Reich, vice president of equity compliance, said.  

The moderators allowed students to ask questions, which opened up the floor to new angles of conversation. One particular question led to a discussion of the effect of American culture on Christian women in leadership. 

“Professionally, women are criticized for being emotional. We are emotional beings,” Reed said as she considered the stereotypes that are often set by culture regarding women in leadership roles.

 She explained that women often compensate for this stereotype by being overly serious and strict. 

“This is an unfair way that we have to portray ourselves,” Reed said. “This is the way that we have to act in order to be taken seriously.” 

When asked to leave the students with one piece of advice, Keith instructed the audience to serve, no matter the position, and to love people greatly. All the women on the panel agreed with her. 

Mullet is a feature reporter for the Liberty Champion