On Monday, August 7, more than 30 women came to the Leadership Institute (LI) to network, shop, and learn how to dress for success. 

Partnering with the Independent Women’s Forum and the Ladies of Liberty Alliance, LI gathered enough professional clothing for each attendee to take home at least one outfit.

In addition, attendees heard from Sonya Gavankar, former Miss D.C., and multimedia host and content creator.  Her lecture was filled with great tips and tricks to help young ladies navigate professional fashion without being overwhelmed.

She broke down a lot of misconceptions about office fashion choices and entertained the audience with her anecdotes.

Here are three key lessons learned about professional dressing for women...

It is often said, our role models challenge us to become our best self. In the case of Alan Sears, one of his role models taught him valuable lessons to be successful in conservative politics.

Alan Sears, former President of Alliance Defending Freedom (1993-2017), first crossed paths with LI President Morton Blackwell in 1967 in Kentucky. They’ve been through the gamut of conservative politics through the years – on campaigns, in the Reagan administration, and as presidents of two non-profits.

We’ve all been there. We’ve been unfriended on Facebook during the 2016 election cycle, forced into an awkward political discussion over Thanksgiving dinner, or attacked on Twitter for making a political comment.

Yes, the current political climate is hostile; but there is a way to communicate effectively without losing all of your friends.

You may be surprised to learn that the number of staff working each day to advance the conservative movement is small.  In Washington, D.C., it’s a few thousand at most.

This is great for your career!  Working in the small DC conservative movement, it is easy to get to know the influential players who can support your career advancement.  But reputations are made very quickly, and for those less savvy who don’t mature quickly, simple mistakes can be destructive.

One of the worst mistakes anyone can make in Washington, D.C. is to bad mouth their boss or their organization.

You can avoid these three common mistakes...