Life & Work with Malorie Colby (on Behalf Of AFWA) of KANSAS CITY

Today we’d like to introduce you to Malorie Colby (on Behalf Of AFWA).

Hi Malorie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
The mission of the Accounting & Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA) is to “enable women in all accounting and finance fields to achieve their full potential and contribute to their profession.”
The Kansas City chapter is a branch of our national AFWA Chapter. The Kansas City chapter got started to help provide a space for women in the area to continue developing their professional expertise in accounting and finance, as well as grow a network of women empowering each other to succeed.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has! We have had the best leadership and most fantastic women over the years, and now our past leaders are watching our young professionals take on larger roles in the chapter, such as president, treasurer, program chair, etc. Our chapter hosts events such as networking time, socials, continuing professional education (CPE), and more. We want the community of professionals to feel connected frequently, which is why we meet monthly.

The main struggle we would say we’ve had is that after COVID in 2020, we lost about half of our members. We never got back to where we were chapter size-wise after that, and we would love to take a big step in growing our chapter in the years to come!

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
AFWA specializes in monthly events with chapter members and non-members to provide a safe space to share opportunities, struggles, wins, work stories, life success and challenges, and most of all, learning together. As a chapter, we enjoy socials, getting to know new members, and our community outreach activities.

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
Luck hasn’t played much of a role in AFWA. We tend to work hard to get our members in the chapter and retain them for the future.

Pricing:

• Regular Member (2+ years of experience) or Affiliate Member (vendor, supplier, HR, or DEI companies) – $255/year
• Associate Member (less than 2 years of experience) – $110/year
• Student Member – $45/year
• Retired Member – $49/yeaar

Contact Info:

• Instagram: afwa_kansascity
• Facebook: AFWA – Kansas City Chapter
• LinkedIn: Accounting and Financial Women’s Alliance (AFWA) – Kansas City