About Us
The Griffiths Leadership Society for Women was established on the University of Missouri campus in 2005 and is the catalyst for global connections among diverse and distinguished MU collegian leaders and alumnae. Through lifelong learning, leadership development, and mentoring, members stimulate their potential and that of other MU women while supporting the best interests and traditions of Missouri’s flagship university. The organization is a program of the Mizzou Alumni Association and is proudly named for Martha Wright Griffiths, BA ‘34.
The Griffiths Leadership Society is networking and mentoring. It’s about women supporting one another, supporting their university, and supporting the greater good. It’s about sharing across generations and developing personal and professional relationships. It is about learning, discovering, and reaching our full potential.
“It is a different world and they [the Supreme Court] should speak for justice, not prejudice…. I seek justice, not in some distant tomorrow, not in some study commission, but now while I live.”
Martha Wright Griffiths
Plans & Goals
The Griffiths Leadership Society for Women was created by the Mizzou Alumni Association to establish an influential and dynamic network of women to provide leadership development and mentoring for Mizzou’s female students from her female graduates. Through the Griffith’s Leadership, the Association hopes to promote the growth and education of women and to create a nationwide network of women leaders with ties to MU.
Our Members
Griffiths women are established leaders in their careers and communities. They have valuable skills and life-choice advice to share with today’s students in both undergraduate and graduate programs at MU. Alumni members are selected for their accomplishments in their careers and civic activities. All are highly successful with a myriad of backgrounds and professions.
Collegian members are successful women in their own right who desire the opportunity for continued growth and mentoring. This group provides tremendous personal and professional enrichment opportunities to its members and a positive venue for recognition of women’s leadership, service and success. Collegians are chosen for their commitment to leadership and interest in personal and professional growth.
The Program
Conferences are held each fall and spring at the University of Missouri campus where attendees benefit from professional development, mentoring, and personal growth.
Alumnae are reconnected with the University and collegians are connected to jobs and internships across the nation in all fields.
A committee of Griffiths collegians and alumnae determines the activities for the meetings. The format varies, but always tries to address the diverse interests of the members through speakers, panels and group discussions.
Martha Wright Griffiths
The Honorable Martha Wright Griffiths was born in Pierce City, Missouri on January 29, 1912. She graduated from the University of Missouri in 1934 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics. She attended law school at the University of Michigan where she practiced law and presided as a judge before being elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1954. Wright Griffiths served 10 terms in Congress and was the first woman to serve on the House Committee on Ways and Means.
She is remembered as the person most responsible for including women in the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and for influencing the ERA movement more than any woman in the modern era. In addition to the ERA, Wright Griffiths worked on the passage of Title XI in 1972. This legislation protects against sex discrimination in education.
After retiring from Congress, Wright Griffiths went on to be elected as the first female Lieutenant Governor of Michigan. Elected at the age of 70, Wright Griffiths served in this position from 1983 to 1991. She was inducted into the Michigan Women’s Hall of Fame in 1983 and the National Women’s Hall of Fame in 1993.
Wright Griffiths was one of 14 individuals selected as the 2007 Honorees for National Women’s History Month.
The Mizzou Alumni Association recognizes Martha Wright Griffiths as an inspiration and a role model for women today.