A Conversation With … John Taylor

What’s new this year to the Women’s Entrepreneurship Symposium?
For the last seven years, it was a pretty straightforward symposium/conference. It was held on a Saturday in the spring or late winter. It had a keynote, plenary, lunch, and small-group breakout sessions. It had all of the look and the feel of a conference.

What we’ve decided to do with it is to transform it from the Women’s Entrepreneurship Symposium to the Women’s Entrepreneurship Series, and then to try to develop something each season. In the springtime when people are coming out of hibernation and looking to reacquaint themselves with their friends, we’re going to have a luncheon, we’re going to have a keynote.

Tell me about the first part of the series.
This April, we’re going to get together at 425 Downtown Events and have Amy Blansit over to keynote speak and talk about what it’s like to manage change and to manage something that’s never been seen in the community, like what’s she’s doing over at Fairbanks [Elementary School, turning it into a community center].

What’s the importance of having an event that’s specifically focused on women?
I’ve actually given that a lot of thought. Why do we have something that was specifically for women? To an extent, I’ve also thought a lot about why we have events that are specifically tailored for artists, why in the past we had events and programs that were specifically targeted toward minority business owners. I think honestly, just to be perfectly frank, part of the answer to that is that it’s not been that long, even in 2016, since we had a world in which it felt difficult for women or artists or minorities to have successful businesses.

To the extent that it’s not been terribly long, I think it’s fair to say there’s still a place for programming that serves the needs of folks in that group. We have incredibly strong women in business these days. If my experience as a teacher is any indication, we still have plenty of women either here at Drury or very soon after college who appreciate the opportunity to have education, training, networking and support from other women.

Is it odd that you’re a man leading a women’s symposium?
The first executive director and the second executive director were women. Whether it ends up having been a factor in the success of the symposium, we’re going to find out. I’m not in a position to predict that.

What are you doing to prepare?
I’ve been given a lot of really great advice when it comes to WES. What I’ve been told is, if any executive director takes the time to ask the individuals who will become part of the symposium what they would like to see, then that person will hear enough to fill 10 years worth of programming.

I’ve committed myself to being very mindful. I’m not trying to predict the question that’s going to get asked, to always make sure that I’m asking what the needs are and asking what folks would like to see. Then, do what I can to find individuals who provide training, provide inspiration or help lead programming.

What are your duties as executive director of the Edward Jones Center?
To make sure the center as a whole has a lively and supportive board, make sure the organization is healthy and visible within Springfield and make sure it has good partnerships that would lead to interesting programming ideas. Then, [it’s] to make sure the programing is relevant to the students and folks in the community who need to engage with the center.