Celebrating Kane County Women’s Leadership Institute graduates

It was a day of cel­ebration for the gradu­ates of the second Kane County cohort of the Women’s Leader­ship Institute’s (WLI) Career Development Series. Ten local wom­en leaders have been meeting monthly since January to gain unique insights and strategies that contribute to a more well-rounded and effective leadership approach. Leadership is a mindset. Women want to feel comfort­able leading at what­ever they’re called to do. The WLI Career Development Series has been designed to increase female lead­ers across the state and highlights the value of diverse perspectives in leadership. WLI recognizes the impor­tance of leveraging all available resources to enhance leadership skills and drive posi­tive change.

Front row L-R: Sierra Medlin, Brittany Nataro, Keiren Chatterley, Brittney Johnson. Back row L-R: Pat Guerrero, Danielle Hardy, Lacee Brown, Janae Chatterley, Felicity Barlow, Megan Miller. Photo by Stacy Cox.

This program is led locally by the Kanab Area Chamber of Com­merce and participants this year were mid to senior-level lead­ers from a variety of local businesses. It has been informative, motivational, and col­laborative, and will help women recognize resources and oppor­tunities for leadership. Women participants got the best of both worlds by hearing from professional experts on various topics such as team engagement and decision-making, while connecting with others in Kane County. They expanded their networks as well as their understanding and skills around lead­ership principles.

Some comments from local training par­ticipants include “I am grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of this course. I will walk away a stron­ger, more thoughtful leader, equipped with tools and insights I’ll carry with me throughout my career—and my personal life. The les­sons I’ve learned have genuinely shaped how I show up in the world” and “The program truly helped me step into leadership with a new level of confidence. It challenged me to rec­ognize my strengths, speak up without apol­ogy, and lead with clarity and purpose. I walked away feeling empowered, connect­ed, and more capable of influencing positive change in my commu­nity and workplace” and finally “Thank you for offering such a valuable opportunity! I hope many more will get to experience it in the future.”

This is the 10th year that the Women’s Leadership Institute has been elevating the talents of women, and the second year it has offered the Career Development Series to women outside of the Wasatch Front. WLI is a 501(c)3 state-wide organization that works with organiza­tions to help them elevate women and provide leadership de­velopment support. WLI is based in Salt Lake City and is cur­rently expanding its services, partnering with local Chambers of Commerce through­out Utah to reach more women across the state.

The Kanab Area Chamber of Commerce looks forward to offer­ing this program again in 2026 to another group of local women leaders. The Chamber supports the creation of a strong local econo­my, promotes the local business community, provides networking and training opportu­nities for its members, and represents local business interests to government entities. Established in 1967, the Kanab Area Cham­ber of Commerce is a 501(c)6 non-profit organization. Any in­dividual person, firm, chamber, partnership, association, or legal en­tity having an interest in the objectives of the Chamber of Commerce is eligible to apply for membership.