Our Origin Story
We can’t talk about She Leads International without first talking about the Women's Leadership Fund—because that’s where this story begins.
In 2017, Kristi Ackley and Maria Surma Manka met for lunch at the Black and White in Little Falls, Minnesota. The meeting was arranged by Matt Varilek, then President of the Initiative Foundation (now Minnesota’s Commissioner of DEED). That day, over coffee and conversation, a seed was planted.
They both had seen it—talented women in leadership roles across Central Minnesota who were navigating their work without the peer support, professional development, or community they needed to truly thrive. Especially outside the St. Cloud metro area, many women were leading in isolation. There were chambers and civic organizations, yes—but few spaces designed for women to come together, share authentically, and grow.
They envisioned something better.
That spark of an idea turned into the Women's Leadership Fund, a volunteer-led initiative under the umbrella of the Initiative Foundation. With fellow board members Jessica Brigman, Jill Casper, and Julie Anderholm, they set out to create something bold and deeply needed: mastermind-style peer groups—cohorts of women who could advise, support, and champion one another across industries, ages, backgrounds, and beliefs.
This work wasn’t just about networking. It was about identity. About space. About building something women hadn’t been offered in this way before.
Women’s Leadership Fund - original cast - Jess Brigman, Maria Surma Manka, Kristi Ackley, Julie Anderholm, Jill Casper.
She Leads 2022
As those peer groups began to take root, the team launched something else: a regional women’s leadership conference. The She Leads Conference. It was created as a place to gather more women, ignite more conversations, and build momentum.
The response was overwhelming.
Women didn’t just show up—they leaned in. They connected deeply, shared boldly, and returned year after year with friends and colleagues. What started as a single gathering quickly became something bigger. A ripple turned into a wave.
Eventually, the Women’s Leadership Fund stepped back, having fulfilled its original mission. But when the partner organization entrusted with the conference couldn’t continue, we stepped back in immediately—because the movement wasn’t finished. It was just getting started.
That’s when She Leads International was formed—not just to house the conference, but to serve as a container for all of it: the energy, the community, the leadership, the impact. What had begun as a handful of women around a table had grown into something much larger—a vibrant, collective movement that continues to be shaped by the women who show up and lead from wherever they are.
She Leads International is now the home for that vision, and the legacy of the Women’s Leadership Fund lives on in every connection made, every breakthrough shared, and every woman who walks away a little more seen, supported, and empowered.
She Leads, Then and Now
What began as a few peer cohorts and a conference in Central Minnesota has grown into something far more expansive.
Today, She Leads International isn’t just a name—it’s a vessel. A space that holds not only our annual conferences, but also our coaching, leadership development programs, and retreats designed to connect women across borders, roles, and life stages.
We’ve grown not through branding or buzzwords, but through women—those who kept showing up, asking hard questions, offering wisdom, and inviting others to do the same. Many of the original board members from the Women’s Leadership Fund still contribute as speakers, advisors, and friends. And every year, new voices join the circle, making She Leads more representative, more resilient, and more rooted in community.
In 2026, we’ll take another bold step forward: our first international women’s retreat in Tuscany.
This dream was years in the making. Earlier this year, a small group of us traveled to Italy on a scouting trip to walk the cobblestone streets, visit the villa, meet local women entrepreneurs, and imagine what rest, connection, and leadership might look like in this new context. We wanted to be sure that what we’re creating abroad still feels like She Leads—intimate, meaningful, and grounded in our values.
This next chapter is not about going bigger for the sake of scale—it’s about deepening what matters: connection, community, and the kind of leadership that begins from within and ripples outward.
Where We're Headed—Together
She Leads International isn’t just about conferences or retreats or professional growth—it’s about possibility.
It’s about creating a space where women step into their full power, not because they were handed permission, but because they chose it. Where leadership doesn’t have to look like a title or a corner office, but like courage, community, and claiming your voice.
What started around a table in Little Falls has become a movement shaped by hundreds of women, each bringing their story, their brilliance, and their vision for what leadership can look like when we do it differently—when we do it together.
And now, we’re inviting you to shape what comes next.
Show up boldly. Ask your big questions. Dream out loud. Whether you’re attending your first conference, leading your team, launching your business, or boarding a plane to Italy—we want you to know this:
You belong here. You are part of this story. And the future of She Leads? It's being written by you.
