Seeking Principals: Apply Now! 2026 WOCEC

National District Pathway Fellowship

A 2024 RAND Corporation report surveying 156 districts found inconsistent support for principal development, especially for central office readiness. In response, the WOCEC is launching a new program to strengthen leadership pipelines and prepare principals for district-level roles.

Applications are now open for the WOCEC’s 2026 National District Pathway Fellowship Program—a unique, five-month leadership experience, with support from the WOCEC’s partner, the National Center for the Elimination of Educational Disparities at Morgan State University. If you are a school leader with five or more years of experience and are considering a district-level leadership role in the future, this fellowship is for you.

It brings together a select cohort of school leaders and provides:

• Executive coaching from seasoned experts who understand the unique challenges of leadership
• Professional development tailored to real-world demands, including:
  • Strategic communications
  • Navigating district and board relations
  • Budgeting and resource allocation
  • Conflict management
  • Self-care and sustainability
• A powerful network of sister-leaders who inspire, support, and grow together

The program includes five virtual sessions and is designed to fit the schedules of working professionals. There is no cost to participants.

2026 Fellowship Cohort Dates (virtual, 4:00–5:30 pm ET):

• January 14, 2026
• February 11, 2026
• March 11, 2026
• April 15, 2026
• May 13, 2026

👉 Apply today and join a transformative network of women changing the face of school leadership.

From the Business Journals: Values that drive top women leaders — and why they matter

In this article members of the Bizwomen Leadership Council reveal the leadership values that guide their success — principles that they want to pass on to younger generations of women stepping into power. From leading with trust to embracing inclusivity, these values reflect the hard-won wisdom that inspires and informs their leadership style every day.

Report from the Executive Women of New Jersey (EWNJ): A Seat at the Table: Sustaining the Momentum

This October report shows that women’s representation on the boards and in senior executive and top-earner roles of publicly held New Jersey companies has held steady since 2023, with women holding about 29% of board seats in 86 firms—a significant rise from around 14% in 2013. While there has been a slight drop in female board representation at the state’s Fortune 500 companies and a small increase in companies with no women directors, the numbers of women in top executive and high-earning roles have moved upward, with 22% of top earners and seven women CEOs in the state’s major companies. The report warns that recent rollbacks of diversity, equity, and inclusion policies pose a risk to further progress but notes that structural changes to boards, advocacy infrastructure, and shifting business norms mean the momentum toward gender diversity is unlikely to reverse.