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In this second webinar of the 2022 Women LEAD series, participants were led by Patrice Funderburg, Founder of Educate to Engage, on a journey to inward reflection on the ways our identities can help or harm how we advocate for others. Patrice opened the session with a quote from bell hooks:

“To be in the margin is to be part of the whole but outside the main body.”

Prior to the session, participants completed the Margin to Center worksheet which challenges users to write down their personal identities and social positions based on places of cultural privilege and cultural marginalization. To start, participants talked through whom we consider to be our “peers”. Patrice then challenged us to reflect on the following questions with curiosity and courage, while keeping in mind the definition of “peers” that we discussed as well as the information we wrote down on our Margin to Center worksheets:

  • How can you use the power and privilege that you may have to make more space for your peers?
  • How could you more fully step into bringing your full self, including what you have learned from your own experiences of marginalization, into the ways you advocate for your peers?

 

The group then split up into breakout groups to discuss their thoughts on each of these questions.  In the end, everyone regrouped and shared their reflections.

Everyone is encouraged to join us on March 22nd for Women LEAD session #3 with a panel of women advocates. During this session, we will highlight the many and varied ways that we can advocate for our community, including nonprofit service, political engagement, and social media. Whatever the cause or the method, we will explore the powerful collective impact of individual acts of advocacy.

For more information or to register for the third session, visit our website!

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Janet LaBar

Executive Director​
jlabar@womensimpactfund.org

With more than 25 years of experience, Janet has a proven track record of leading organizations and teams in developing strategies that foster thriving communities. Her career is dedicated to the well-being of the places she serves, and the people and businesses within them, positioning her as a trusted sounding board, critical thinker, and purposeful protagonist across corporate, government, education, entrepreneurial, and civic spheres.
Janet joined Women’s Impact Fund in June 2025 to guide one of Charlotte’s most respected, women-led philanthropic organizations into its next phase of growth and impact. In partnership with the Women’s Impact Fund team, Board, Advisors, members, volunteers, and key community partners, she will continue strengthening communities by maximizing women’s leadership in philanthropy through collective giving, education, and engagement.
Inspired by her family, teams who dare greatly, and people and communities striving to be their best selves, Janet’s impactful career includes leadership roles as President and CEO of Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, President and CEO of Greater Portland Inc, and Chief Performance Officer of Greater Phoenix Economic Council. As a first-generation Filipino American, her lived experience deeply informs her professional drive to create equitable economic growth and opportunity in the metro areas she’s served.
She holds a BA in Communication Arts from the University of West Florida and an MBA in Marketing from the University of Phoenix. Janet and her husband James are proud parents to an older daughter, and a daughter and son who are twins.