Founded in 2011 to provide a supportive and educational space for the female leaders of Wittenberg University; to present opportunities for personal growth, leadership development, sisterhood, empowerment and idea sharing; and to challenge women to discover their full personal and leadership potential, Women in Power invited President Laurie M. Joyner to participate in its Aug. 28 meeting.

Women in Power, which currently has 70 members, was the brainchild of 2012 graduate and Sweden native Hanna Franck-Larsson, who was an invited participant earlier this year to the United Nation’s annual meeting on the Commission on the Status of Women in New York City.

“I believe that the knowledge and capacities of women are often neglected in our world today, and that society is at a loss when cutting half of its human resources off,” Franck-Larsson said. “To me, it’s important to attempt to find new ways to approach gender inequality, but also to highlight the difference in representation where we least expect it.”