Hankamer Serves as WWC2024 Virtual Host Site

This month, the Christ Centered-Community and Belonging (CCCB) Initiative and the Women in Leadership Initiative at Baylor University’s Hankamer School of Business (HSB) joined Women, Work, & Calling – a national initiative by the Denver Institute for Faith & Work – to co-host the Women, Work, & Calling 2024 (WWC2024) Conference. 

More than 1,300 people attended the event, including 350 in Denver and hundreds more across 17 virtual host sites, including the Hankamer School of Business (HSB). This event created a valuable space for Christian women to embrace their calling and bring Christ-centered influence to their work and communities.

As one of the host sites, HSB connected Baylor and the local community with this nationwide movement, encouraging women committed to integrating faith and work in meaningful ways.  

“It was incredibly exciting to host an event bringing together women from Baylor and the local community,” said Kaylee Hackney, PhD, associate professor of Management. “I’m confident when more women are equipped to integrate their Christian faith in the way they lead others and engage in their workspaces, amazing things will happen.” 

The event began by discussing how faith can deeply shape both the personal and the far-reaching aspects of our work. Romanita Hairston, CEO of the M.J. Murdock Trust, encouraged attendees to actively worship and integrate faith into their work, aligning it with a larger, spiritual purpose. 

Another session explored the paradox of embracing both the beauty and brokenness found in the workplace. Participants were encouraged to embrace this tension, finding the strength to lead even through setbacks, workplace conflicts and unexpected change. 

Panelists such as Meryl Herr, director of research and resources at Fuller Seminary’s Max De Pree Center for Leadership and author of Work Hurt, shared practical insights for building resilience, affirming that faith and communication can be a steady source of guidance amid the highs and lows of a career.

Networking was also a central theme, with discussions around the value of intentional, faith-rooted relationships in professional settings. Speakers emphasized that God’s work is often carried out through communities and networks of believers, and encouraged attendees to cultivate supportive connections with mentors, peers and colleagues. Panelists shared their own stories of mentorship and collaboration, showing how relationships are integral to professional and spiritual growth.

The conference concluded with reflections on how to remain grounded and lead during times of change. 

Practical theologian and entrepreneur Michaela O’Donnell outlined three essential principles for flourishing leadership, empowering attendees to lead with resilience, confidence and purpose, no matter the challenges they face. First, flourishing leaders are anchored by a strong sense of calling. Second, they embrace challenges, crises and difficult seasons as opportunities for growth. Finally, they rely on community for support. 

“As Christian leaders, we have no excuse not to be resilient, confident and filled with a sense of purpose,” Hackney said. “We are called to serve Jesus Christ. We can be resilient because He was resilient. We can be confident because He is with us and has promised to complete the good works that He began in us. And we are filled with a sense of purpose because we were created with a great purpose – to glorify God in everything and everywhere, including work. Imagine a world filled with women leading in that way.”

Community and belonging are important concerns for the Business School and the CCCB Initiative works toward creating a space at HSB where faculty, staff and students are welcome and heard. These goals directly align with those of the WWC2024 Conference. 

HSB’s Women in Leadership Initiative aims to pursue scholarship that transforms the experience of women at work, develop future female leaders, and advocate for their success while preparing them to shine the light of Christ in the business world. To learn more about this initiative and how to get involved, can read more here or reach out to Hackney at Kaylee_Hackney@baylor.edu.