The 105^th NFHS Summer Meeting was held this year in Boston, MA. The NFHS Summer Meeting is a four-day conference comprised of general sessions, discussion forums, and networking opportunities. The Women in Leadership team held two events this year, the Women’s Leadership Summit and the Women’s Networking Social.

The Women’s Leadership Summit featured keynote speaker, Dr. Neha Raukar, who led the audience through a workshop on addressing imposter syndrome. Dr. Raukar serves as the Vice Chair for Academic Advancement and Faculty Development at the Mayo Clinic. A respected clinician and educator, she is dedicated to leadership development with a focus on women and has presented nationally and internationally on the topic of imposter syndrome. An activist for gender equality, she has been exposed to many glaring inequities in the male dominated field of sports medicine and has taught other women how to persevere through those challenges. Dr. Raukar provided the group with a roadmap on how to overcome imposter syndrome which included understanding the meaning of self-underappreciation vs self-overappreciation, identifying your inner critic, identifying your saboteur, accepting feedback, and creating your elevator pitch.

The Women’s Networking Social was held after the Summit and served as an opportunity for the women who are a part of the NFHS membership to socialize and meet new people. The Networking Social included a fun activity called “The Name Game,” where name tags of influential and famous women in sports, politics, and Hollywood were placed on the backs of attendees. The attendees were tasked with asking others “yes-or-no” questions to help guess the name of the person on their back. Once they guessed correctly, they were able to move the name tag from their back, place it on the front, and receive a new name tag. “The Name Game” posed as a great icebreaker to kick off the networking social.

During the Women’s Leadership Summit and Networking Social, attendees were asked to sign their name and organization on a piece of paper. The NFHS Women in Leadership team used all signatures to create a poster, as shown below, that will serve as a memento for those who attended the Women’s Leadership sessions. The keepsake is proof of the growth of female administrators throughout the state associations, with no plans on stopping anytime soon!

Lastly, The Annual Induction Ceremony for the NFHS Hall of Fame, held on the last day of the summer meeting, is an outstanding culminating highlight of the event each year. The 2024 NFHS Hall of Fame Class is comprised of one official, two administrators, four coaches, and four athletes. This year’s class includes the induction of three outstanding females – Paula Kirkland, Marie Ishida, and Dot Ford Burrow. To read more on their incredible stories, please use the following link: Four Former Standout High School Athletes Headline 2024 Class of National High School Hall of Fame.