Abstract

Women’s organization, founded in 1981 in La Crosse, Wis., to provide mutual support and networking among females in management positions and to serve as mentors for those aspiring to management positions.

Records, 1981-2001, include board goals and annual reports, by-laws and constitution, financial materials, membership information, meeting minutes (Board & program), newsletters, photographs, program of events/calendar, scholarship committee information, special projects, and YWCA’s “Tribute to Outstanding Women” Award program.

Restricted materials include membership and scholarship applications and nominations for the YWCA Tribute to Outstanding Women because of personal information contained in these documents. Access to the restricted portion of the collection is available only with the written permission of the current AVANT president.

Acc. No. 1990/1, 1990/3, 1992/7

Donated by AVANT via Susan Larson, past president, April and May 1990; and June 1992.

Processed by Carrie Ann Seib, November 1992.

Acc. No. 1994/10 donated Aug. 1994; 1997/20 donated Sept. 1997; 1998/4 donated May 1998; 2001/27 donated July 2001

Processed by Margaret Donndelinger, Jan.-Feb. 2002.

History

AVANT is an organization of professional women in leadership positions in the La Crosse area. The organization was founded in August 1981 by a group of women who felt there was a need for mutual support among females in management positions and to serve as mentors for those aspiring to be so.

In 1984, AVANT established a scholarship fund. The recipient is a non-traditional woman student over twenty-five years of age. This scholarship is awarded each semester to a qualifying applicant. AVANT occasionally publishes an Executive and Professional Women’s Network Directory.

Twice a month the members meet for program and luncheon meetings. Various speakers talk about topics of general interest to the group. Some examples include effective public speaking techniques for women, business travel, retirement planning, health and fitness, and stress management.

Scope and Content

This collection tells the story of AVANT from 1981-2001. The most extensive and informational groups of materials in the collection are MINUTES (Board & Program), 1981-2000, which tells about the goals and interests of the group, and MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION which includes surveys (1983 & 1985). Other materials include board goals and annual reports, by-laws and constitution, financial materials, newsletter AVANT-EDGE, photographs, programs/calendar, scholarship committee, special projects, and YWCA’s Tribute to Outstanding Women” awards program.

Board Goals & Annual Reports consists of reports from various committees and Board members and covers 1984-2001. By-laws and Constitution, 1982, includes constitutional revisions to 1988. Newspaper clippings and clippings from other non-AVANT publications date from 1988-1996. Correspondence includes letters mainly written to luncheon speakers, 1988-1998.

Financial materials, containing account statements and an application for recognition of exemption, spans from 1981-2001. Job descriptions were developed primarily by Board members to define their roles, 1993-1996.

Membership Files, 1981-2001, includes general membership information as well as blank membership applications, updates and surveys of the membership 1983 & 1985. These surveys tell how the members think the organization is doing and are interesting to read.

Membership and Scholarship Applications, as well as Nominations for “Tribute to Outstanding Women” are restricted files. They contain applications of AVANT members and include resumes and other information of a personal nature. These files can be accessed with the written permission of the current AVANT president, who will obtain authorization from the proper sources. Otherwise, they will be closed for seventy-five years and will be available for use in the year 2067.

Minutes (Board & Program) contains minutes of the board and program meetings and covers the years 1981-2000. The Newsletter AVANT-EDGE series, 1987-1992, contains a just a sampling of the group's newsletter. This was renamed AVANT in 1992. The Archives has more complete holdings in the local publications collection for these titles.

Programs/Calendar material (1988-1996) includes the schedule of speakers for the regular luncheon meetings, details of special social events and an ongoing calendar of AVANT related events.

Scholarship Committee, 1983-1997, contains information about the implementation and activation of the AVANT scholarship for a non-traditional woman student over the age of twenty-five. Special Projects, 1983-1996, has information on four specific subjects: the Executive and Professional Women’s Network Directory and the AVANT scholarship proposals, redesigning the brochure and Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Program.

YWCA Tribute to Outstanding Women awards program became an AVANT special project. From 1984-1995 there are materials that consist of correspondence, nomination forms and award ceremony booklets. The actual nomination packets are restricted.