Meet the 2024 Championess Grant Winner: Polished Pebbles - Empowering Girls for the Future

Let's gather for an inspiring conversation celebrating Polished Pebbles, IWF Chicago's 2024 Championess Grant winner!

Together, we’ll explore IWF Chicago’s evolving philanthropy strategy and hear firsthand how the inaugural Championess Grant has fueled impact for our first grantee, Polished Pebbles.  Founded by visionary leader Kelly Fair, Polished Pebbles is on a mission to close the “hope gap” facing too many girls in Chicago and across the nation. With a powerful curriculum built on the Three C’s: Community, Communication, and Career, Polished Pebbles equips girls with the skills, confidence, and support they need to thrive.

Guided by moderator Khalilah Lyons, this fireside conversation will take us inside Kelly’s journey: the challenges, the breakthroughs, and the lasting impact of investing in young women.

Come ready to be inspired by how purpose-driven philanthropy is transforming lives—and how IWF Chicago is leading the way.

*Zoom details will be shared closer to the event date*

Polished Pebbles

Event Description:          

Join us for an engaging conversation with author Alison Fragale as she discusses her empowering book, Likeable Badass. During a fireside chat, with IWF board member, Amy Dordek, discover insights on confidence, communication, and leadership as Alison shares practical strategies to help you achieve the success you deserve. Don’t miss this inspiring event filled with wisdom, wit, and real-word takeaways.        

Alison Fragale is an organizational psychologist, professor at the University of North Carolina Kenan-Flagler Business School, and bestselling author of Likeable Badass: How Women Get the Success They Deserve. Her academic research on status, power, negotiation, and influence have been published in her field’s top academic journals as well as national media outlets, including The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. She is a sought-after keynote speaker who uses behavioral science to help individuals, especially women, excel. Prior to her academic career, Alison worked as a consultant for McKinsey and Company, Inc.

She holds a B.A. in Mathematics and Economics from Dartmouth College and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior from the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Alison resides in Chicago with her husband and her three children, who are all named after professional athletes. She also loves, in no particular order: cheap coffee, not-so-cheap wine, fabulous shoes, sushi, the Pittsburgh Steelers, Peloton workouts, Hallmark movies, and The Golden Girls.

Interested in reading the book before the event? Click here to purchase your copy Purchase Book

*Alison will be available to autograph your copy*

Alison Fragale / Professor / Keynote Speaker / Negotiation and Power Expert

Details:

Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be available. 

Event Description:                         

Members will enjoy an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at this stunning venue before settling in for a captivating theatre performance.  

Learn about the theatre’s history and operations with Executive Director, Kathryn M. Lipuma.  Following a Q&A session, we will transition to the theatre to view the performance of "As You Like It" directed by Writers Theatre Artistic Director Braden Abraham.

The Chicago Tribune stated, Writers Theatre is "such is the astonishing level of intimacy here." This regional theatre located on the Northshore, has been in operation since 1992 and moved into the current location in 2016. They value the power of the written word and uplifting the artists who bring that word to life.

https://www.writerstheatre.org/about

Described by the New York Times, “As You Like It” Shaina Taub and Laurie Woolery’s musical is a frolicsome, feminist adaptation of Shakespeare’s comedy of cousins, lovers and disguised identity in the Forest of Arden. Braden Abraham directs. (October 30 – December 14, 2025 Writers Theatre, Glencoe, IL).

Details:

6:00pm: Cocktail and Hors d’oeuvres Reception and Behind the Scenes Gathering

7:30pm: Performance Begins

"Prioritize Your Purpose: Stop Proving. Start Living."

You’ve mastered the art of achievement, but what if your next level isn’t about doing more, it’s about becoming more of who you already are? Join IWF Chicago member Khalilah Lyons for a grounding session designed to eliminate achievement exhaustion and help you reconnect with what truly matters. Through bold prompts and reflective conversation, you’ll disrupt autopilot success and explore what it means to lead with clarity, presence, and purpose beyond the pressure to prove. This is the conversation that’s been quietly nudging you. So, let's talk about it.

Register Now

*Zoom details will be shared closer to the event date*

'Tis the season to gather and spread cheer after a great year! Mark your calendars and join us for an evening full of festive cheer, good company, and joyful memories in the making.

Members are warmly welcomed to this annual hallmark event for IWF Chicago.

TASTE 222

222 North Canal Street, Chicago | Mixology + Innovation Rooms
Wednesday, December 10 | 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.

DETAILS: 

• Drinks and heavy hors d'oeuvres will be served.
• Business attire is required for all members. No denim, please. 

SUPPORT A CAUSE: 

Consider donating a gift card or new warm winter clothing for girls in need in the Chicagoland area.  All items will be donated to our Championess 2025 grantee.

The Signature Event is the centerpiece of the IWF Chicago year. It celebrates International Women’s Day annually and brings together leaders whose work transforms organizations, communities, and lives.

This event supports IWF Chicago and enables us to fund our philanthropic initiatives, such as the IWF Fellowship Program, empowering emerging women leaders; The Championess Grant, supporting local organizations that elevate women and girls; and the IWF Day of Service in Chicago. Sponsors make possible the mission — advancing women’s leadership and championing equality worldwide. 

About IWF Chicago

The International Women’s Forum (IWF) is a global membership organization of more than 8,000 diverse and accomplished women from 35 nations on six continents. An affiliate of IWF since 2003, the Chicago Forum includes over 250 extraordinary women in business, law, the arts, social services, government, academia and entrepreneurial endeavors. Founded in 2003, IWF Chicago is the hub for global women’s leadership in Chicago. IWF Chicago members convene for local programs and global conferences to consider the world’s most challenging.