Corbin Woman's Leadership Forum

Our vision is to facilitate discussion of gender diversity and inclusion within the Corps of Cadets (and the Military) that prepares all leaders to effectively lead all of their Soldiers. We aim for discussions and events that will provide the Corps with experiences that prepare them to be leaders of character for all people.

Mission: To educate, empower, and inspire the Corps of Cadets to serve as commissioned leaders of character by facilitating discussion of gender diversity and inclusion within the Corps, the Army, and society, and by providing opportunities for education, mentoring, and networking in support of cadets, staff, and faculty. 

To support our mission, The Corbin Woman's Leadership Forum conducts discussions and lectures on various topics to share experiences and knowledge relating to leadership, mentorship events, and outreach engagements.

Lean In Circles

Gender Roles in Movies

The Corbin Woman's Leadership Forum conducted its first Lean In Lunch of the year on 7 October 2019.  The topic for the event was “How Movies Teach Manhood.”  After watching a TED Talk on this topic while eating lunch, Corbin members took part in small group discussions, lead by cadet facilitators.  The group discussions identified challenges associated with how movies portray gender roles.  Several groups identified the importance of identifying Heroines and telling their stories, which is today’s media is not prevalent.  The cadet facilitators did an amazing job of leading these discussions amongst fellow cadets and faculty and led to some amazing dialogue.

Making Stress your Friend

The Corbin Woman's Leadership Forum conducted its second Lean In Lunch of the year... read more.

Female Army officer stands in front of a group of cadets that are seated sporadically in a conference room, actively listening.
Group of children and Corbin Leadership Forum cadets gather in a classroom, holding up a poster that is made up of puzzle pieces. Those on the outskirts of the photo are holding puzzle pieces during a community outreach project.

Community Outreach

Cadets and faculty continue to engage in several outreach events with young girls at the Meadow Hill Elementary School in Newburgh through a highly successful initiative developed by Melissa Czarnogursky entitled: “Fireworks-Igniting Confidence in Young Girls.”  “Fireworks” is an outreach program dedicated to igniting confidence in young girls. Fireworks fosters the development and growth of self-confidence and identity of girls between the ages of 9-12. The mission of the “Fireworks” program is nested within the Corbin mission and aims to have the challenging, gender-related conversations that parallel to issues young girls may face. Read more.  

Girl Scout Overnight Event

Local Girl Scout troops had the opportunity to experience and learn about West Point culture and gaining confidence based upon the Fireworks! workshop described above as part of the second annual Girl Scout overnight event held 8-9 February 2020 at Christl Arena at West Point. The success of last year’s event resulted in a request for Corbin Cadets to once again facilitate the event with approximately 100 Girl Scouts and parents.
Five West Point cadets gather with a group of  young Girl Scouts and their troop leader at the Girl Scout Overnight Event in the Holleder Center.
One male and four female West Point cadets pose for a picture at the Corbin Leadership Forum conference on West Point.

Other Events

Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium

At this event, cadets were able to learn from and engage with inspiring female officers, meeting with General (retired) Ann Dunwoody, the first woman in U.S. military history to achieve a four-star officer rank and most recent recipient of West Point’s Thayer Award, and Captain Samantha Turner, the European Command (EUCOM) Program Head on Women, Peace, and Security and Gender Advisor to the EUCOM Commanding General.

Future Events

 

Lean In Circles
Winter and Spring Break Book Clubs
Fireworks!
Joint Women’s Leadership Symposium
Diversity and Inclusion Conference
Potential Events
Washington D.C. to visit WIMSA Memorial and potential speakers

Contact Us

 

For more information, please contact MAJ Kim Cowan, Officer in Charge.
BSLWPLC@westpoint.edu