By Maritz on 3/19/24 11:25 AM
March is not just a month on the calendar at Maritz, it's a vibrant celebration of women, empowerment and diversity. As we celebrate Women's History Month, our employee resource group, Amplify Women's Network, has brought several exciting activities to our team designed to be an inspiring journey of learning, connection and recognition. We asked the two chairs of this group, Marnie McGorry and Beck Kjar, to share some insights from leading this important mission at Maritz.
Why did you want to become a leader of this group?
Becky: I think there is nothing better than gathering a group of women who feel empowered in a room together to celebrate our accomplishments, both professionally and personally.
Marnie: There is a big need to connect people, especially women, and even more so since the shifts that happened during the pandemic. Amplify strives to not only connect women, but also offers development opportunities and supports women-focused initiatives in our community. I can think of no better way to give back to Maritz and its women than this.
What initiatives are happening now?
Becky: We have planned several ways to celebrate Women’s History Month including our speaker series event. Donna Erbs, Partner Emeritus at Anders CPA, lead a spirited discussion on women's success in the workplace. Donna has won several awards including YWCA's Leader of Distinction, Top 100 St. Louisans to know to Succeed in Business and Most Influential Businesswoman.
Marnie: March is a big month for us—Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day. Along with our speaker event with Donna Erbs, e-cards for internal recognition are available to recognize other women at Maritz and we’ve launched a series highlighting influential women through history. It’s a great month!
What do you most want to accomplish this year? Or next year?
Becky: The Amplify leadership team would like to expand our reach and get more members of the network involved in planning and participating in new events and gatherings. We'd love to hear from other team members on ideas and topics they’d be interested in learning more about.
Marnie: After being on the leadership team for over 4 years, I’ll be stepping down from Chair at the end of March. Becky will be taking over as Chair and Amplify is in great hands with her passion and leadership. I plan to continue to attend Amplify events and help promote this fantastic organization and support Becky however I can.
What has been your favorite moment/experience so far in leading this group?
Becky: I have a passion for giving back, so each time we come together as a network to support women's causes, I feel such a sense of pride and accomplishment that we are making an impact in our work community.
Marnie: There are so many great experiences. I too am proud of the impact we’ve made at our workplace. I’m also excited that we were able to bring back a long-standing Maritz tradition in 2023—Women of Distinction—as part of the YMCA of Greater St. Louis. The program had been around for fifteen years before it was put on pause during the pandemic. Our leadership team worked hard to bring it back last year, and I know the team will make it even better in 2024.
A BIG THANK YOU to both of these ladies for their leadership. We’ll leave you with this inspirational quote:
“Women’s History Month pays homage to the trailblazers before us, builds hope and inspiration to us and offers an example of pride and excellence for younger generations.”
– Kron Moore, Forbes
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