Our Purpose
When more women are empowered to lead, everyone benefits. Decades of studies show women leaders help increase productivity, enhance collaboration, inspire organizational dedication, and improve fairness. Despite these benefits, here are the statistics:
YWLF believes these statistics are in part due to women's circumstances as they transition into the senior level of their careers. This is a critical time when women begin weighing the costs and benefits of a high-trajectory career, and advocacy is especially important. Despite the uniqueness of this demographic, the advocacy and retention of these future leaders is not a focus of most women-centric organizations. Young Women Leaders Forum seeks to change that by advocating for and developing high-trajectory women in the workplace to alter the future of these statistics for the better.
Our Offerings
Our members gain exclusive access to speaker and networking events that are specifically curated to develop and advance high-potential young women leaders.
Our History
In 2016, two women who were passionate about women’s leadership development and career advancement coincidentally sat next to each other at an Atlanta event. In that chance encounter, they decided there was a need for a new kind of organization to support young and high-potential women leaders. Shortly after, the Young Women Leaders Forum was established as a 501(3)(c) organization empowering young women leaders in the workplace. YWLF now includes multiple cohorts, active alumni and is expanding nationally.
Meet Our Founders
Erin Wolf
Co-Founder
Erin Wolf is a nationally-recognized speaker, executive coach and consultant in the areas of leadership development, diversity, organizational change, and organizational strategy. She has more than 30 years of experience and has worked for well-known firms such as Bain & Company, Goldman Sachs, Accenture and Salomon Brothers Inc.
She is currently the Managing Partner of SuiteTrack, a firm dedicated to helping companies advance their high-potential professionals and future leaders in the workplace. Erin also served as the Founding Director of The Coles College of Business Women’s Leadership Center at Kennesaw State University and taught Capstone Strategy classes in the business school.
Erin sits on or has previously sat on the boards of Women’s Leadership of Harvard University’s Kennedy School, the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta, The Atlanta Girls School, Homrich Berg Wealth Management, Planned Parenthood Southeast, Girls Inc., and Girls on the Run.
A former nationally ranked tennis player and scholarship athlete, she received her BA Magna Cum Laude in Economics and Spanish from Duke University and her MBA from Harvard University. Erin’s publications include two books, Lessons From the Trenches and If I Knew Then What I Know Now. She speaks to audiences across the country about leadership.
Kathryn Valentine
Co-Founder
Kathryn is a Partner at Valaris Consulting, where she helps consumer companies achieve their growth targets. She specializes in apparel, innovation and consumer insights. She is also an External Advisor to McKinsey & Company, where she advises teams on Apparel, Fashion, and Luxury topics.
Previously, Kathryn served as President of Southern Proper, a privately held men's apparel company, where she oversaw a business transformation and successfully prepared the company for sale to a global textiles manufacturer. During this time, Kathryn was responsible for company strategy, merchandising, e-commerce, operations, finance and accounting.
Kathryn began her career at McKinsey & Company, working in consumer and retail. After McKinsey, Kathryn joined Lilly Pulitzer, focusing on Consumer Insights and Growth Strategy. In this role, Kathryn supported the development of Lilly’s multi-year growth strategy and implemented consumer pathway marketing initiatives that continue to generate additional revenue for the company.
Kathryn has a BA in Political Economics from the University of Virginia, where she was a Jefferson Scholar and Lawn Resident. She earned her MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, and is a former 5th grade teacher. She currently lives in Atlanta with her husband and their two sons.