FOUNDING OF FWLE

FWLE is built on the power of the Women’s Leadership Conference (“WLC”), which debuted in 2007 as a unique MGM Resorts International and greater Las Vegas community alliance fueled by a circle of diverse women leaders. Their focus centered on challenges to women’s professional development, career advancement and networking, although the initially-titled “Women of Color” forum was open to men.

In its beginning years the conference was presented under the umbrella of the nonprofit Las Vegas Latin Chamber of Commerce Foundation, supported by MGM Resorts as lead corporate sponsor, in collaboration with the Las Vegas American Indian, Asian, Latin and Urban Chambers of Commerce, and later addition of The Women’s Chamber of Commerce of Nevada. 

In 2011 WLC’s educational platform was reshaped to concentrate on development of core leadership competencies, in light of the pursuit by all women of gender equality and the necessity of well-grounded qualifications for full leadership participation. Rebranded “The Women’s Leadership Conference,” WLC re-emerged as a signature event of MGM Resorts’ industry-leading diversity and inclusion initiative produced under the auspices of the nonprofit 501(c)(3) MGM Resorts Foundation.

The reorganized conference resonated among women from greater Las Vegas and beyond, appealing to women of all types across race and ethnicity, socio-economic strata, fields of employment and career levels. “WLC” ‒ as it became known in 2017 – has since grown in size, scope and stature, drawing sellout crowds since 2014 and educating thousands of women from Las Vegas and other locations.

To date WLC is a unique offering in the State of Nevada. WLC is a major women’s conference in the Western United States, highly regarded for the quality and relevancy of its programming to the growth of women leaders.

Throughout WLC’s existence MGM Resorts led as the pioneering corporate sponsor of the conference.  With a founding donation from MGM Resorts, FWLE was established in 2019 as a fully independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with 100 per cent focus on expanding the reach of WLC’s social contribution – broadening its audience in and beyond Las Vegas and enlarging the pipeline WLC fosters of capable women leaders.