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Colorado Jewish Professional Women

Clockwise, from upper left: Shira Zimmerman, Rachel Kodanaz, Jodi Cooper, Beth SteinhornIn 2007, friends Shira Zimmerman and Jodi Cooper co-founded a network model called Colorado Jewish Professional Women that encourages the innate qualities women bring to career-building functions.

“Women network differently,” says co-chair Zimmerman, CEO of Zim Consulting. “We talk about everything: family, community, volunteer work. And we stay in touch between meetings.”

Cooper, who co-chairs CJPW with Zimmerman and Jamie Sarché, remembers that “Shira approached me and asked, ‘How cool would it be to invite successful Jewish women to speak at events and see what we can do?’”

About 50 women showed up for the first event, which featured Ellen Robinson at Strings. It sold out — and there was a waiting list of 25 more.

“The need was already there,” says Cooper, VP of banking and officer operations at Steele Street Bank.

“There was a real void,” Zimmerman agrees. “Nothing like this existed before.”

Unlike other networking groups, CJPW does not require membership or dues.

Six special events geared to match women’s diverse schedules are held each year — one breakfast, four lunches and a cocktail party.

“You pay only for the event you can attend,” Zimmerman says.

Cooper says that “we like to mix it up so we can cover all the bases. There are people who can never make it downtown or get away for a breakfast.”

About 800 women are currently on the distribution list. Attendance at events usually depends on individual availability.

Participants are diverse professionally and at respective stages of life.

“We have lawyers, doctors, dentists, realtors, mortgage brokers, writers, women in the hospital industry, all over the board,” Zimmerman says. “The majority of them don’t own their own companies.

“We have women in their 20’s to 70’s and everything in between.”

Says Cooper, “You never know who you are going to sit next to at an event.”

Contrary to the title, CJPW accepts non-Jewish women, many of whom work closely with the Jewish community. Women who conduct the majority of their business outside the state but are based in Colorado are also welcome.

Only one rule is non-negotiable: no men are allowed.

“You don’t have to be from Colorado, you don’t have to be a professional and you don’t have to be Jewish,” Zimmerman says. “But you do have to be a woman!”

CJPW emphasizes one-on-one interaction over handing out 50 business cards to attract potential clients. “It’s more about relationships than referrals,” she says.

“People really want to listen to the speakers and get to know the women around them,” Cooper says. “Maybe they haven’t found another job but they’ve discovered new companies and volunteer opportunities.”

Although job matches occur regularly, CJPW prides itself on creating lasting friendships.

Beth Steinhorn, president and senior strategist of JFFixler Group, was one of the first women to attend CJPW venues on the heels of the group’s inception. Now she goes whenever her hectic schedule permits.

“CJPW is a great way to get my name and organization out there and also take the pulse of what other women are doing in our community,” says Steinhorn, whose resume in the non-profit world spans 25 years.

“For those of us in the non-profit sector, it’s invaluable to meet women in business, whether professionally or personally,” she says. “They are a terrific resource on so many fronts. For example, when I needed to change insurance companies, I went to them.”

Steinhorn, who consults with non-profits throughout the US and Canada regarding development and volunteer engagement, feels that the networking styles of men and women are quite disparate.

“Those differences are a major premise” of CJPW’s existence, she says.

While women can and do network with men, there’s a noticeable variation in style.

“After attending so many CJPW events over the years, I’ve found that the issue of work-life balance is particular to women,” Steinhorn says. “It’s a very large part of the conversation.”

Rachel Blythe Kodanaz, speaker, grief consultant and author of Living with Loss One Day at a Time, first came to a CJPW event when a girlfriend told her she would be speaking.

“I’ve gone every chance I can since then,” Kodanaz says.

A poised and powerful communicator, Kodanaz has addressed CJPW on feeling comfortable at the podium and co-presented another talk on “getting all your ducks in order in preparation for death” with Feldman Mortuary’s Jamie Sarché.

Kodanaz, whose background is in business, IT and Fortune 100 companies, enthusiastically supports the group because “there are different speakers and new attendees every time.”

The first time she experienced CJPW, she immediately felt “like I belonged,” Kodanaz says.

“The way things were arranged, I met three people during lunch and four, five or six more as I walked around the room.

“Then people started coming up to me and asking personal questions: the process of writing a book; how do you get it published, etc. Personal interaction and growth are crucial elements.

“It’s also about meeting women in your community — all that fun stuff.

“CJPW is a great group,” says Kodanaz. “Whether you are new in town or have a desire to connect with other women, CJPW provides that opportunity.”

Although Colorado Jewish Professional Women was born in 2007, it remains one of Denver’s best-kept secrets — not to deter wider participation, which has steadily increased, but to ensure its approach is the antithesis of in-your-face.

“It’s true, we don’t proselytize,” Shira Zimmerman says. “A lot of women have told me that they haven’t been involved in anything Jewishly since Hebrew school until they encounter CJPW.

“For whatever reason, this is a place where they feel safe.

Kodanaz speculates that part of the attraction is that the organization is based on a pay-as-you-attend basis.

“I hate using the word, but it’s really grassroots,” she says. “No one aggressively markets CJPW or pushes membership, which is very appealing.”

Women are continually joining the ranks, says Jodi Cooper. “Maybe they heard about us from a friend or saw a blurb somewhere.

“We don’t require a set membership — and I think that’s one of the greatest things we’ve accomplished. Women really want to be a part of the group.”

Information: www.cjpw.biz or www.facebook.com/cjpwomen.

Copyright © 2014 by the Intermountain Jewish News



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IJN Senior Writer | [email protected]


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