MAYBROOK- The second annual conference held by the Orange County Chamber of Commerce’s Women MEAN Business Committee drew more than twice the audience that participated in its first session.
“We need to create a safe and empowering space where we celebrate successes, offer guidance during challenging times and uplift one another when we need it most,” Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Heather Bell-Meyer told the audience, more than 220 women and men, at the June 1, 2023, event in The Barn at Villa Venezia in Middletown, N.Y. “This strengthens our individual journeys and paves the way for our collective growth and progress. It’s through this that we break down barriers, shatter stereotypes, and create a more inclusive and equitable society.”
With the theme “Her Seat at the Table,” the conference was presented by the committee to honor, inspire and support women in non-traditional business roles. (MEAN stands for Mentoring, Empowerment, Authenticity and Networking.)
Participants in the conference attended panel discussions covering corporate and small businesses, and engaged in “fireside chats” addressing key questions and topics women face in the workplace.
Maureen Halahan, president and CEO of the Orange County Partnership, delivered the keynote speech, describing her professional journey and offering advice.
“I’ve had a fabulous journey because so many women before me worked so hard to pave those roads,” she said. She advised women to “stop, look, listen. Grow in your position.”
Having served in her position since 2002, Halahan is the longest-serving economic development specialist in the Mid-Hudson Region, according to the Orange County Partnership, a private, nonprofit office of economic development that serves as a marketing agency to draw businesses to the county.
Halahan talked about the importance of sponsorship, or people in the business world recommending each other regardless of gender, as a strategy to help…
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