Megan Ria Morgan, MFA

Megan Ria Morgan, MFA: Speaker: Megan Ria Morgan, Race and Equity ManagerMegan Ria Morgan: those rooms. When you're able to listen and to observe, you will very quickly learn what kind of leadership style works for you in the way that you want to work.What does being an Influential Woman mean to you?Megan Ria Morgan: To me, being an influential woman means a lot, especially on this platform and with the community of women that I've been surrounded by. To me, being recognized as an influential woman means that I'm part of a community of learners, of thinkers, of doers, of idea makers, uh, those of us who are wanting to go out there and change the world for better, how can we improve upon what's already there and recognizing the magnificence of the people and the great work that they're doing and how we can contribute towards it. Um, I enjoy being. In a community of women that looks to lift one another up, we know that historically women have faced a lot of barriers in their careers, in their home life, um, fighting for equal rights, and we're at a stage right now where, at least in the United States, we make up more than half of the population. We are actually the majority of the population. So how, as we, as influential women. How can we be a part of what that means in the 21st century? How can we contribute our unique gifts and our skills to lift one another up and influence the places that we live, work and play for the betterment of others and for the generation that comes behind us and also for the generation that. That's ahead of us, that's aging into their golden years. How can we make life better for them after they've worked so hard to help us allow to be in the place that we are today as women? So, I'm truly grateful to be considered an influential woman, and I can't wait to see what 2026 is going to bring our way.What's one piece of advice you would give to younger women chasing their dreams?Megan Ria Morgan: Some advice that I would want to share, uh, with the next generation of younger women who are out there chasing their dreams is to be an observer first, to always remain curious and explore the rooms that you're in, the ones that you're invited to be in, as well as the ones that you're not in, but you want to learn from those people who are in those rooms. When you're able to listen and to observe, you will very quickly learn what kind of leadership style works for you in the way that you want to work. And you can learn from that person or persons um by conversating with them, by emulating them, by talking to them. The long term goal being to set up some sort of a mentorship or relationship, which might not always be possible in the terms that you're thinking of, but observation and curiosity and the willingness to respond to their leadership style will really help you to kind of hone in on what you're trying to achieve, uh, in the world and how you can take the steps to get there. You'll also learn by observing which leadership styles really do not work for you. And even though you might have a negative experience or not like that person or like their leadership style, you will learn a lot about what not to do in terms of the way that you want to lead and the way you want to grow in your career. And so you can focus your energy, right? Not on focusing on the negative and focusing on what you don't want to be like, and instead shifting it towards those leaders, those other women. Uh, those other people in your community who are doing things the right way and volunteering to be a part of that, um, volunteerism is also a really great way, um, to get in touch with, with folks that you want to learn from, uh, because when we're giving from ourselves, um, in, in that way without being paid, um, we could also learn a lot about what opens up our heart and what we can take back into the corporate or whatever dream, um, that you have that you want to pursue. And I guess the second part of this is we all have dreams. We might not necessarily have a corporate dream. We might be more entrepreneurial, artistic, that's my background. Always keep that creative part of you alive. And so when you're in meetings and things are maybe going in a particularly logical direction, then folk folks are following a particular thread. If you have a creative idea, even if it's not right. In the moment to bring it up or you feel too shy, make a note about it. See where it might come up in a 1 to 1 or a smaller group conversation if it feels too scary in a big group setting to think of something or announce something that might seem like way out of step with what everyone else is doing. I'm a little bit older, so I do do this more so, um, now I speak up in group settings because I feel a little bit more confident about my ideas and just throwing it into the. But when you're younger or when you're newer to an organization and not quite sure how that will be received, it can be helpful to just keep track, keep notes in your phone, keep a little journal of these creative ideas or approaches that come to you when you're in the meeting room and even afterwards. Sometimes when I'm working out, I'm swimming or showering or washing my hair, I come up with really great ideas. So don't lose track of those and share them when the timing feels right.