By Carson Fraser
Building strong relationships: something most of us look to do as members of the Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC), and one of the first things Betsy Conway thinks of when reflecting back on her time with the JLC. As a Charlotte native, Betsy knew after moving home from earning her undergraduate degree from the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill and her graduate degree from Northwestern, that she wanted to get involved with the local Junior League. “As a young professional, I wanted to get involved in the community and develop my leadership skills,” she said. She has a clear passion for helping others and advocating for causes in our community. This is clear not only through her many roles in the JLC, but also in her career. She currently serves as the Director of Community Engagement for Novant Health, where she leads three teams that focus on external engagement of improving health and wellness in the community. They do this through multiple outlets, including nonprofit and sports team partnerships, community health screenings, education and wellness programming, and so much more.
During her time with the JLC, Betsy has served on many different boards and committees in multiple positions, including Placement Chair, JLC Legacy Foundation President, a Board Member, and State Public Affairs Committee member. Currently, she is slated to serve as the Vice Chair of the Governance Committee for the Association of Junior Leagues International, an association of all 292 Leagues across the globe committed to promoting voluntarism, developing the potential of women and improving communities through the effective action and leadership of trained volunteers. In this role she has leveraged her reputation as a motivator, consensus-builder and effective communicator to lead a comprehensive, two-year governance document review project. She says, however, that writing for The CRIER was one of her favorite positions early on. This placement gave her the chance to meet and interview so many of the amazing women that make up the JLC, as well as learn about all the different placements and trainings available to members. She also reflected on her first leadership role within the JLC, where she was able to really dive into the League and all it has to offer. She started building strong relationships and found rewarding mentors in many of the women serving in leadership positions at the same time. Even though it has been sixteen years since she joined the JLC, to her it feels like it was just yesterday. Being able to look back on all that she has accomplished and all the people she has mentored has been very rewarding. Seeing so many women come in as new members, and then seeing them grow into strong leaders helping to leave a legacy, is something of which she is very proud to be a part, saying, “the League has afforded me so many opportunities to expand my leadership through programs like Leadership Development Institute and the Public Policy Institute. I’ve led committees, served on the JLC Board and had the honor to serve at the Association level on the AJLI Governance Committee. Over the years, I have loved to see women I sponsored or mentored as young professionals grow and develop into our League leaders.”
When asked what her greatest lesson learned from being a part of the JLC was, besides the strong friendships she has built, she said she learned, luckily early on, that you “have to focus your efforts and priorities. You can’t over-fill your plate or something will fall off.” There has to be balance between your personal life, career, and serving for the causes one is so passionate about. This is a concept Betsy grasped early on, and continues to find that balance. She maintains her focus on all JLC and community commitments, having a successful and fulfilling career, running a household for her adorable 2 year-old son James and loving husband Chris, and she still finds time for self-care by reading a good book or hustling out on the tennis courts.
Women like Betsy, who have passion, drive, and commitment to making the Charlotte community a better place, are found across the JLC. She exemplifies what being a Junior League member is by focusing on the community, lending a hand whenever her plate allows it, leaning in to developing herself and others, as well ensuring the legacy of the JLC lives on to its fullest potential.
