Chester County photographer Pam Hesler was the first recipient of the MacElree Harvey Initiative Grant.

She received the award, which carries with it a $750 donation to the charity of her choice, at the 18th anniversary Women's Referral Network luncheon Tuesday, May 10th , held at the Inn at Chester Springs.
 
"The grant is designed to honor Chester County individuals who show initiative in their businesses and communities," said Denise C. Werkley, West Chester attorney and president-elect of the Women's Referral Network.

Hesler, former president of the network and current editor of the group's newsletter, donated her award to the Maternal and Child Health Consortium of Chester County.

Pamela G. Bryer, executive director of the Consortium, accepted the donation on behalf of her organization, which fosters better prenatal and infant health in the county.

Luncheon speaker Leslie Stiles, executive director of the Pennsylvania Commission for Women, urged the 240 attendees – not surprisingly, most of them women – to set lofty goals and aggressively seek change.

"Five to 10 years after entering the work force, women usually hit the glass ceiling," said Stiles, appointed to her post by Gov. Ed Rendell. "It's not really a glass ceiling," she noted, "but rather a thick layer of men."

Corporate America today builds an off-ramp for women opting out of the business world, but not necessarily an on-ramp.

A lot has been written recently about smart, accomplished women deserting the work-a-day world to have children and care for their families.

"Men still control the gateway to success but some of the barriers may lie with women themselves, not wanting other women to succeed," Stiles said. Women must pull each other up the corporate ladder, she told the audience, and should not be afraid of being aggressive when they do so. And yet, executive women are sometimes wary of surrounding themselves with other women for fear of being seen as partial to one gender.

Small businesses owned by women, the preponderance of Women's Referral Network members, are the fastest-growing segment of new businesses in the state and probably also in the nation, Stiles said. Yet, she cited some daunting statistics proving that corporate America is still very much a man's world:

• Only six women are at the helms of Fortune 500 companies today.
• Women account for 5.2 percent of the top Fortune 500 wage-earners.
• Women comprise 13.6 percent of all U.S. corporate boards of directors.
• Women account for 15.7 percent of all corporate executive officers ..and 46 percent of the U.S. work force.
• Only 24 members of the 254-member Pennsylvania Legislature are women.
• Women hold 14 of the 100 U.S. Senate seats, and 65 of the 435 seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
• The Women's Referral Network has 260 members and sponsors numerous networking get-togethers, as well as monthly luncheons and other events.

For the second year in a row, MacElree Harvey sponsored the group's anniversary luncheon.

For more information on the Women's Referral Network, contact Debbie Shupp, executive director, at 610-639-9776 or executivedirector@WRNchesco.com.

Updated 10/28/05.