top of page
Social Enterprise Banner Image.jpg

WOMEN FORWARD INTERNATIONAL
CONSULTING

Unknown.png

How We Are Different

Unity, Collaboration And Service For a Changing World

WFI Brings the Transformative Power of Strategic Partnerships Bridging Mind and Heart to Make our Clients a Leading Force for Good. 

How We Work 

WFI Consulting is experienced in designing and implementing innovative programs for vulnerable populations, focusing on raising people from the margins to mainstream through improvements in economics, human services, government participation, education and nutrition.

 

Whether it is advancing your mission through development of relationships within high-level diplomatic and government circles; transformative writing and story-telling; or execution of the "last mile" of your in-country program, take advantage of the proven strategic expertise and global partnerships of Women Forward International.

With trusted organizational partners in the private and public sectors across five continents, WFI Consulting will take your goals to the next level by amplifying and expanding your impact and community of stakeholders while enabling you to bring about creative and transformative changes in your communities that uplift all. 

A Better Strategy to Ensure Programs with Impact

 

Meaningful, actionable studies and implementation demand a carefully thought-out strategy and rigorous process. Change is in the hands of our next generation, so WFI ensures direct collaboration with expert graduate students and world-class faculty to put the latest thinking into feasibility studies for your programs in the critical areas of women advancement. 

We are internationally recognized for our action-based research and program implementation in the following key areas of women’s advancement:

  • Sustainable Systems

  • Food Insecurity, Health and Wellbeing

  • Leadership in Conflict Resolution

  • Education and Economic Empowerment  ​

See Examples of our Curated Programs Here

A Mission-Oriented Solution that Enables Successful Outreach

 

Underlying all of our engagements is a dedication to our fundamental values: Unity, Collaboration, and Service. Because these values, bridging mind and heart, guide everything we do, WFI Consulting produces programs for you that become blueprints for implementing authentic change, from food distribution to artisanship to political participation.

Addressing Root Causes for Sustainable Solutions

 

Our experts know how to probe the basic barriers that keep vulnerable demographics marred in traditional social patterns. As our name says, our goal is always to move women and men forward towards lasting equality. This commitment demands penetrating the long-time obstacles to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) in any culture anywhere.

Contact us for a complimentary consultation with our president: Dr. Kent Davis-Packard. Whatever your pressing issues, we invite you to discuss them with us in a Zoom call or via email correspondence. We will suggest which of our services might be of best use in meeting your needs.

Contact us at kent@womenforwardinternational.org

Our Services​:

  • Action-Oriented Research Curation with Cutting Edge Academic Programs and on the Ground Implementing Partners

  • Sustainability and Clean Energy Know-How

  • Unravelling Human Dynamics in Organizations

  • Systemic Leadership Development Marrying Hearts and Minds

  • Innovative Strategies for Public and Private Partnerships with Museums and Artists

  • Systemic Organizational Development

  • Inspired Curation of Events, Exhibitions and Conferences

  • Trailblazing Curricular Design 

  • Communications for the Common Good 

    • Documentary Film​ and Media

    • Speech Writing and Delivery

    • Publications

WFI's Partners, Collaborators and Beneficiaries of Our Programs

Afghan-Institute-of-Learning.png
Screen Shot 2020-03-18 at 1.19.22 PM.png
image.png
Screen Shot 2022-04-04 at 3.13.14 PM.png
Unknown.png
Screen Shot 2020-03-18 at 2.04.01 PM.png
Cronell CALS.png
columbiasipalogo.jpg
ENoMW-Logo-small.jpg
Fashion Revolution.jpg
GT SFS.png
Screen Shot 2022-04-04 at 2.42.26 PM.png
harvard-kennedy-school-logo_1.png
LYNN.jpg
Screen Shot 2022-04-04 at 2.49.25 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-09-10 at 10.14.31 AM.jpg
Screen Shot 2020-03-18 at 12.56.23 PM.png
200px-National_Defense_University.png
Nest.jpg
Gender Equity.png
Sq_Pro_Mujer.jpg
Prince's Foundation.jpg
Rice Univ.jpg
Rollins.jpg
Sciences_Po_Paris_logo_150_px.png
Sustainable Food Trust_1.jpg
Screen Shot 2020-03-18 at 12.52.22 PM.png
Screen Shot 2020-12-02 at 2.21.28 PM.png
Screen Shot 2021-09-10 at 10.22.15 AM.png
Turquoise Mountain Logo.jpg
unwomen-logo-blue-transparent-background-247x70-en.gif
Nottingham-logo.png
Screen Shot 2020-03-18 at 12.30.57 PM.png
WASSA-LOGO-1.png
WOW logo.jpeg
Yale.png
Screen Shot 2023-10-25 at 2.58.20 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-10-30 at 3.10.51 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-10-30 at 4.42.29 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-10-30 at 4.45.26 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-11-05 at 11.41.13 AM.png
Screen Shot 2023-10-30 at 5.03.13 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-11-11 at 3.48.42 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-10-03 at 4.01.01 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-11-11 at 4.17.49 PM.png
Screen Shot 2023-10-03 at 4.01.12 PM.png

How We Are Different

  • We conduct our work from our varied expertise and deep professional values and commitments and hold your company’s growth and development as our priority

  • ​We provide unique partnership and programmatic opportunities which will generate innovative models and replicable applications drawn from the most current trends in our professional areas

  • ​We provide programs that meet your corporate goals, while also balancing the complexity of the issues these programs seek to address with ease of application

  • ​We are not afraid to make difficult observations and recommendations

  • ​We engage from a place of unity, collaboration, and service

Aligning your brand with WFI will enable your business to partner with a preeminent organization that attracts a sophisticated audience from across the globe, from school children to leaders in business, arts and technology.

We look forward to taking your vision to the next level.

 

Contact us at kent@womenforwardinterntional.org

PAST EVENTS

WFI and the Women's Foreign Policy Group presented a ZariZar Live Art Exhibition at the Sundaram Tagore Gallery in Manhattan with Actress Annie Potts and Ambassador Geeta Rao Gupta! More>>

August 8, 2023

Memory & Tolerance Museum

Sharing the Abundance: Food Rescue in Veracruz and Mexico City!

Mexico City, Mexico

Presenting the results of our Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana (UAM) study with White Pony Express and TC Energy, as well as presentations by Mexican business leaders and artists!

More>>

Screen Shot 2023-08-18 at 2.45.36 PM.png

Featuring Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Ofelia Angulo Guerrero, Secretary of Education, Science, Technology and Education of Mexico City

PHOTO-2023-08-09-09-33-40.jpg
IMG_6909.jpg

Join us in Veracruz the last Friday of every month! ​Wings of Love brings together community leaders, volunteers, donors, and beneficiaries for a day of celebration and action to serve 50 -70 women and their families on a monthly basis!

Dr. Julia Nesheiwat, Sharon Wilkins, Kent Davis-Packard, and Dr. Ofelia Angulo

October 6, 2022

WEAVING A PATH TO PEACE

This autumn, Women Forward International took its action-oriented sustainable fashion projects to the next level. Through a series of presentations including a vibrant feast for the senses – fashion, poetry, and visual art – WFI shared its vision for women’s empowerment through the creative industries globally, including diplomats from around the globe who support women artisans as part of a their greater mission for peaceful and stable nations, as well as women designers and artisans. Dr. Kent Davis-Packard and Dr. Julia Nesheiwat led an event at the Cosmos Club inspired by a new generation of leaders whose actions are based on love and service. More>>

image000000.jpg
81B_8599 copy.JPG

October 8, 2022

GARDEN PARTY RECEPTION

Following the event, "Weaving a Path to Peace" at the Cosmos Club, WFI held a Garden Party Reception at a private home in Chevy Chase with remarks sent by the Ambassador of Ukraine, music by Ukrainian Bandura player, Larisa Pastuchiv, and faculty speakers attesting the transformative power of WFI's programs on their students and partners in Afghanistan. 

​​

IMG_2839.jpg
Stained Glass Lanterns
IMG_2884.jpg
IMG_2835.jpg

July 8, 2022

COPARMEX, the Employers Confederation of the Mexican Republic, hosted Women Forward International in partnership with the Aspen Institute of Mexico at their Binational Meetings: #JuntasBinacionalales 2022. COPARMEX is a voluntary membership business organization with more than 36,000 member companies across the country that are responsible for 30% of the GDP and 4.8 million formal jobs in Mexico. They study and create proposals on major issues concerning the economy and society.

 

Dr. Davis-Packard gave a presentation on "Social Policy and Inclusive Development: A New Paradigm of Philanthropy" followed by a discussion moderated by Luis Gerardo del Valle Torres, President of the Aspen Institute in Mexico. 

 

Dr. Davis-Packard emphasized the size of the problem of economic disparity and social inequity in the United States, despite the immense abundance, and provided examples of governmental and grassroots models for sharing wealth. "A new paradigm of philanthropy enables us to see one another as part of one human family that you dare not neglect," stated Dr. Davis-Packard.

 

Mr. del Valle noted that inclusive development is an important and delicate issue, because based on Mexican statistics, 70% of the population [of Mexico] falls below the poverty line compared to United States. “The only way forward is to have an understanding of the needs of others."

Screen Shot 2022-07-22 at 9.25.25 AM.png
aspen-mexico i jpeg.jpg

June 28, 2022
WFI's Vanguard Presents:

The Missing Middle: Fertile Ground for Investment with a Gender Approach

Mexico City, Mexico, In Person 

WFI will bring together Pro Mujer and Tec de Monterrey to demonstrate what can happen when you unleash the power of the largest percentage of women entrepreneurs in the world. The event will feature a joint discussion between our partners, and featured artists whose work addresses the topic of conversation and elucidates the path forward to empowering communities through supporting women in business. 

Mexican street 2.jpg

July 7, 2022
WFI's Vanguard Presents:

One Human Family

Antioch, California, In Person

 

WFI along with our partners White Pony Express and the Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico will demonstrate the power of partnership across national borders to alleviate food insecurity. This partnership provides an example of a new paradigm of philanthropy that is based on love and human unity.

Join us at RR Ministries in Antioch for a food distribution to local homeless shelters focused in particular on women, and hear about Mesa Redonda, a new program brought to us by WFI partners the Association of Vegan Entrepreneurs of Mexico, where restaurant goers can "pay it forward" to a family in need, especially women victims of gender based violence. 

Food Pantry.jpg

July 16, 2022

Hollywood & Her: Private Cocktail Reception  

Los Angeles, California, In Person

 

WFI will join Hollywood's stars who are dedicated to empowering women, especially refugees from Ukraine and Afghanistan. We will come together for an evening of music and feature the delights of craftswomenship from these countries while sharing our 2022 programs to provide gainful and dignified employment opportunities to refugee women globally. 

Los Angeles

Thursday, May 12, 2022

11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT
WFI's Vanguard Presents:

Coffee and Derby Pie:

Why Gender Equity is the

Main Ingredient

Virtual

Join Women Forward International as we bring together our partners from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Yale University’s Jackson Institute for Global Affairs, the Sustainable Food Trust, the Partnership for Gender Equity and the Organic Association of Kentucky to explore the importance of gender equity on farms from Malawi to Peru. More>>         

Horses.jpg
Girls in Afghanistan.jpg

Thursday, April 28, 2022

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
WFI's Vanguard Presents:

A New Horizon for Women's Rights and Education in Afghanistan

Virtual

This year, through our Light of Afghanistan  Program WFI has brought together scholars from Georgetown University's Institute for Women, Peace and Security, activists from the Afghan Institute of Learning, and social entrepreneurs from Lynn University's Social Impact Lab, to provide a toolkit on women’s rights in Islam, and build a new university for Afghan women. More >

Friday, April 8, 2022

12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EDT
Skoll World Forum: Ecosystem Day

Designs for a New Humanity: An Artisanal Path to Economic Justice

Virtual

As part of this year's Skoll World Forum, WFI hosted a panel discussion which brought together our partners from our sustainable fashion and artisanship programsMore >

Misc Images.jpg

Thursday, September 9, 2021

12:00 – 1:00 PM EDT

Ideas, Imagination, and the Transformative Power of Literature on International Affairs:

 

A Conversation with Azar Nafisi

WFI Arts Counsel-FINAL.jpg

On September 9, 2021, award-winning author Dr. Azar Nafisi illuminated the power of Art and Music on human relations and international diplomacy. This event was hosted virtually by the WFI Arts Counsel.

Dr. Azar Nafisi is a lifelong champion and ardent supporter of the importance of Humanities and Liberal Arts and the role they play in the preservation and promotion of democracy. She is best known as the author of the national best-seller Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books, which electrified its readers with a compassionate and often harrowing portrait of the Islamic revolution in Iran and how it affected one university professor and her students. 

Colorful Books

Thursday, June 10, 2021
10:00 AM EST

The Vanguard

The Vanguard, where the bridging of mind and heart is no longer an anomaly, but a norm, and a new humanity is no longer a dream but an awakening reality. Presenting our 2020-2021 projects, The Vanguard is a meeting of our global scholarly teams and the transformative power of Art, when inspired with love, to bring about human unity. In partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), the event will feature internationally recognized artists and leading women experts from around the globe who dare to walk in the vanguard.

Mary Southard, CSJ, "Bright Wings II

(Courtesy of Ministry of the Arts / ministryofthearts.org)

Thursday, April 22, 2021

10:00 – 11:30 AM EST

WFI Arts Counsel Inaugural Meeting

(Private Event) 

Art imagines the unimaginable and gives voice to the voiceless. In doing so, it becomes a form of moral consciousness, an expression of human hope that disrupts and transcends rhetoric and redefines what is visible, thinkable, and possible.

 

On April 22nd, Women Forward International will convene its Arts Counsel for the first time. Counsel members will get to know fellow artists and explore together the curation of a culturally and artistically rich event for the fall/winter of 2021 to help our next generation of leaders see beyond academia and mere intellect, and into our shared humanity.  More>

Nada Odeh, Syrian refugee women art.jpg

January 7, 2021

4:00 PM EST

Counsel Of Leopards

The Hour

The Hour has arrived. The time is now to walk in The Vanguard. Honoring our 2020-2021 projects’ themes of the year, Women Forward International hosts The Hour, a private Counsel of Leopards networking event where student teams, faculty, and partner client organizations will have the opportunity to meet each other, discuss their projects, and get an exclusive sneak peek into Women Forward International’s exciting creative projects and events lined up for the coming year. Not to be missed, this event is one of many perks of being Leopard! 

October 29, 2020

Counsel Of Leopards

A Call for a New Humanity:

Wonder Womanism and the Power of Love

All over the world, women—for no other reason than being who they are—are left behind in the call for justice. It took George Floyd’s death to raise an outcry over the unjust violence of Breonna Taylor’s death, even though her murder occurred months earlier. When 16 mothers were killed with their newborn babies this summer in Afghanistan, the world did not rise up. Why? 

 

Together with change-makers and award-winning artists from Mexico, Nigeria, India, South Africa, and Afghanistan whose exhibitions and narratives put into question the status quo in their countries and speak the unspeakable, Women Forward International will bridge the gap between the heart and the mind, demanding real change at this momentous turning point.

The Hour image.png
CounselofLeopardsLogo.jpg

June 3, 2020

300 Days of Sun, How Many More Days of Slaves?

Stanford University

 

Students provided recommendations related to the issue of human trafficking tailored for the international community's needs. Students developed a “Countering Human Trafficking in the Balkans Strategy”, which includes milestones, measurable key performance indicators (KPIs), recommendations and political statements for the Heads of States and Government and resources for the international community's further work on the issue. The Strategy also addresses ways the international community can cooperate with the UN and other international organizations on the issue and will build on their existing documents and practices, while considering the international community’s specific defense perspectives and needs.

 

 

June 2, 2020 

What's Love Got to Do with It? 

University of California, Berkeley

 

University of California, Berkeley Goldman School of Public Policy students gave a virtual presentation on  their impact assessment of a new school pantry program transforming the lives of single mothers and serving as a template for relieving hunger in the United States with White Pony Express.

 

 

 

 

May 21, 2020 

The Aspen institute in Mexico City

The New Day's Heroes Arise

Harvard University and Columbia University

Columbia University’s School of International and Public Policy students gave a virtual presentation to Pro Mujer on the discrepancy between investors and women-led companies in Central America and Mexico.

 

​Harvard University Kennedy School students presented the Ananda Group next steps for implementing an effective business accelerator program and a comprehensive toolkit to support women and plant-based enterprises at the Aspen Institute in Mexico.

April 30, 2020 

Light of Afghanistan

Georgetown University

What is missing when women are missing from the table in Afghanistan? Hear first hand from voices often unheard by the media what Afghani families need, and how the international community can best help the country move forward.

 

Georgetown University School of Foreign Service students and Faculty gave a virtual presentation of their research in collaboration with Women Forward International’s Light of Afghanistan Program.

 

WFI's first group of Afghan delegates from our Light of Afghanistan Program  met virtually with students and faculty of the Georgetown University through virtual sessions to discuss security and other international relations issues. 

 

The Georgetown University students had the opportunity to interview and collaborate with their Afghan Women's nonprofit client partners on a report that will be published by the United Nations (UNITAR). This collaboration will be the inauguration of WFI’s Qatari-Afghan-American women’s network, which will provide a safe space for women to share their cultural and religious experiences and encourage their successful navigation through social and religious barriers that limit their freedom. 

December 14-15, 2019 - Doha Forum

How ISIS Wins Women, How Women Win the War against ISIS

National Defense University

For the 2019 Doha Forum, Women Forward International curated an event that addressed an under-researched and yet vital topic to curtailing the spread of extremism globally and maintaining international security. We featured the prize-winning essay on women and ISIS returnees in Indonesia from the National Defense University, along with senior international military leaders, development, and international law, and cultural studies experts.

ISIS panel.jpg

From Left to Right: 

Dr. Kent Davis-Packard, Ph.D.

Ambassador Melanne Verveer

Iman Omar Suleiman

Farida Abbos Khalaf

Mia Bloom

Topics included:

  • What causes women to “go to extremes” and how can we enable alternatives?

  • Who influences half our population and who does this half of our population influence?

  • Can female returnees and deportees of ISIS return, reintegrate, and contribute to their communities?

  • What infrastructure is required to enable individuals and societies to “begin anew?”

  • Are we building societies of trust and forgiveness?​​

May 2019 - The Aspen Institute in Mexico City

Women Forward International launches in Latin America

Presentation by Harvard University’s Kennedy School with The Ananda Group and the Inter-American Development Bank at the Aspen Institute in Mexico City.

 

Featuring Research by the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies: 10 Lessons on Empowering Women Entrepreneurs in the Plant-Based Industry with:

  • Rocío Cavazos, Founder and Managing Partner y Lucia Rodriguez, Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Ananda Group

  • Marcella Lembert, Vice President Mexico Environment, Social andGovernance, Bank of America Merrill Lynch

  • Tatiana Petrone, Directora LATAM, MicroMentor

  • Natalia Wills, Alliance Program Officer, Pro Mujer

Latin Amreica Event.png

Dra. Marcella Lembert, Vice President Mexico Environment, Social and Governance Bank of America Merrill Lynch speaks on how banks can empower women entrepreneurs at the launch of WFI at the Aspen Institute in Mexico City, May 2019

September 11, 2019

The Aspen Institute in Washington DC

United States Launch

Rising Out of the Ashes

On September 11th, 200 guests welcomed "a song never heard before" at the Aspen Institute to honor the next generation of leaders dedicated to unity, collaboration, and service. The theme of the evening was the Power of Art to Advance Women to Advance Humanity. Keynote speaker Her Excellency Roya Rahmani, first woman Ambassador of Afghanistan to the United States, described what this power means for Afghan women in her speech "Rising Out of the Ashes." Syrian poet and visual artist, Nada Odeh, took us on her internal journey of overcoming the loss of her physical home and empowering herself as a woman in "I Rise with my Art."

RISING EVENT.jpeg
Screen Shot 2019-09-26 at 2.03.34 PM.png
  • The Leopard Emerging by Dr. Kent Davis-Packard, Executive Director, Women Forward International, Inc.

 

  • Our Mother Comes Forth by Rocio Cavazos, Founder, The Ananda Group, Mexico; Introduction by Sarah Odeh, WFI; and A Message from the United Nations: A Partnership for the New Humanity by Marco Suazo, Director, United Nations Institute for Training and Research

 

  • A New Diplomacy by Sara Al Saadi, Diplomat, Embassy of the State of Qatar

 

 

Women Forward International (WFI) ofrece a las compañías la oportunidad de cumplir con sus propósitos sostenibles, de diversidad, equidad e inclusión.  Corporaciones líderes están participando con WFI para rescatar alimentos y compartir abundancia; empoderar a mujeres artesanas; y entrenar mujeres emprendedoras en México en tres formas: apoyo económico, contribuciones en especie y voluntariado de empleados.  

 

WFI ha coordinado exitosos programas de alto impacto en México y alrededor del mundo y permite a los estudiantes de posgrado de las principales instituciones académicas de México hacer que su investigación deje huella.

 

Además de servir a miles de Mexicanos que viven por debajo del umbral de pobreza, sus compañías se benefician con la posibilidad de reclutar a nuestros talentosos equipos de estudiantes, y sus empleados se involucran en significativas experiencias de voluntariado, basadas en el entendimiento de que todos nosotros somos una sola familia humana.

 

Para mayor información, favor de hacer contacto con la Fundadora y Presidenta de WFI, 

Dra. Kent Davis-Packard: kent@womenforwardinternational.org.

Subscribe to our newsletter • Don’t miss out!

©2021 Women Forward International. All Rights Reserved

Women Forward International is an independent nonprofit 501(c)(3) corporation

bottom of page