We connect exceptional leaders in the Carolinas for learning and inspiration that foster personal and professional growth while embracing community impact and inclusivity.

We engage the members and resources of IWF globally to enrich our programming and networking.
 

President's Welcome

Welcome to IWF Carolinas. We are so glad you are here.

IWF Carolinas is an invitation-only community built on trust, leadership, and shared experience. Across North and South Carolina, our Forum brings together accomplished women from the public and private sectors who are committed to learning from one another and using their leadership to make a meaningful impact.

We are both local and global. As one of 74 Forums worldwide, IWF Carolinas connects our members to a powerful network of more than 7,000 women leaders across six continents and 33 countries. Our members include leaders in business, government, the arts, academia, and civic life--united by curiosity, candor, and a belief in lifelong learning.

IWF is not a passive membership. Our strength comes from engagement--showing up for programs, participating in Forums, building relationships, and contributing your voice. Together, we shape the relevance, energy, and impact of this community.

We hope IWF Carolinas challenges and supports you, expands your perspective, and feels like a place where you both belong and lead. We invite you to engage fully, share generously, and help us continue building a Forum that reflects the power of women's leadership in the Carolinas and beyond.

With appreciation,
Meghan E. Barp
President, IWF Carolinas
2026

 

Meghan Barp sq
 

International Women's Forum was initially established in 1974 as a solution to women's inequality in the US by four glass-ceiling shatterers...


Elly Guggenheimer, the first woman to chair the New York City Planning Commission

Muriel Siebert, the first woman to own a seat on the New York Stock Exchange

Eleanor Holmes Norton, then head of the New York City Human Rights Commission

Muriel Fox, one of the first female public relations executives and founder of NOW. 

IWF has since evolved into a truly global organization on six continents spanning 33 countries with over 7,000 accomplished women leaders as members. 

Learn more about IWF Global

IWF Carolinas is a relatively new forum which continues to grow and evolve to meet the needs of its members.  


In 2006, a small group of accomplished women from North Carolina began gathering in small, informal sessions with Alana Ennis as leader through 2009. Under the continued leadership of several early group members, including Clyda Rent, Deborah Aguiar-Velez (deceased), Linda Farthing and Joan Lorden, the forum evolved and was formally structured with its first set of bylaws for IWF North Carolina in 2010.

Recognizing there was no forum yet in South Carolina, but that there was need for community among highly successful leaders across South Carolina, IWF North Carolina expanded membership to include accomplished women of South Carolina and formally renamed itself IWF Carolinas in 2019 during the leadership of Pat Crull.

IWF Carolinas has approximately 100 highly accomplished, diverse members from across North and South Carolina today.

Learn more about IWF Carolinas members and membership criteria.