DFSGP Women’s History Month + IWD Celebration Recap

Last week, Dress for Success Greater Philadelphia (DFSGP) hosted an inspiring event in honor of Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day with nearly 50 powerful women in attendance at the beautiful Paradigm Art Gallery in Philadelphia.

We were honored to have Crystal Ashby as our spotlight speaker at this successful event to celebrate her as a motivational woman changemaker along with all of her accomplishments as Executive Vice President, Chief People, DEI & Communications Officer at Independence Health Group, Inc. , the parent company of Independence Blue Cross .?

As Chief People Officer, Crystal leads the Human Resources division in attracting and developing talent and achieving business strategy and goals; as Chief DEI Officer, she advances a culture of engagement, inclusion, and innovation as critical components of Independence’s corporate culture; and, as Chief Communications Officer, Crystal oversees internal and external communications and brand strategy, media and public relations, and communications planning.

Crystal graciously shared so many nuggets with us about her leadership style as opposed to her male counterparts at the table and her overall decision making approach and framework. She also walked us through a day in her life as a key strategic executive, and how she has built confidence and resilience over the course of her impressive career. We especially appreciated Crystal’s inputs on how as women we can support each other in our Greater Philadelphia community. We thank you, Crystal Ashby , as all of your shared wisdom and advice was invaluable to everyone who attended this event.?

Our newly appointed Executive Director, Kelly Davis shared at the close of the event:

“There is so much power in this room. And there are many ways to support women not just on this one day–but all year long… You can sign up to support a woman virtually, reviewing resumes and hosting mock interviews. You can pay attention and organize around policies that impact the lives of Philadelphia's most marginalized residents. You can donate professional shoes in good condition to literally help someone step into a new professional era. You can have the courage to speak up when we all hear those casual misogynistic comments that we often try to ignore. And you can help Dress for Success widen its reach at a time when the women in Philadelphia need it most.”

At Dress for Success Worldwide , we celebrate and support women today and always! We are better together.

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Please join Dress for Success Greater Philadelphia as a volunteer or donor!? If you’d like to learn more about our organization’s advocacy work and how you can help, please reach out to [email protected].??