Chamber Announces Partnership with RISE Lincoln, Highlighting Women's Leadership

The Lincoln Chamber of Commerce is excited to announce the expansion of its programming with RISE Lincoln and support from the JoAnn Martin Leadership Legacy Fund. 

Beginning in 2023, RISE Lincoln will be a program of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce, continuing as an incredible platform for women to connect, engage, learn and grow in Lincoln. RISE was launched eight years ago by two respected businesswomen, Katie Zulkoski and AshLea Allberry, as a motivating series to connect the community of Lincoln’s business leaders. 

“This impactful partnership brings Lincoln’s leading business organization into a more visible role with Rise Lincoln in order to raise up Lincoln’s women in business,” says Katie Zulkoski, co-founder of RISE. “The Lincoln Chamber works to make sure Lincoln is a good place to do business, and with its work through Rise Lincoln, they will also be making sure it is a good place to be in business.”

Since its founding, RISE has united hundreds of women through networking, education, civic engagement and personal coaching. The events will continue to feature empowering speakers and respected female leaders in the community, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from incredible executives and visionaries.

“As RISE transitions into a new season, led by capable and excited leaders, I will eagerly look forward to their success as they take the organization to the next level,” says AshLea Allberry, co-founder of RISE. “My hopes are high for RISE—it has an abundance of talent in its leadership pool that can only lead it to bigger and better things!”

It is with great excitement that the Chamber also announces that the Women in Business and RISE programs will receive generous support from the JoAnn Martin Leadership Legacy Fund. This fund is a new endowment under the stewardship of the Lincoln Community Foundation, established in honor of one of Lincoln’s greatest business leaders, to support more women in Lincoln and position them to attain business and community leadership roles.

“The Lincoln Chamber is proud and thrilled to add this important program to our portfolio of community building and professional development activities,” notes Jason Ball, president of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce. “Lincoln has a long history of women in leadership roles. We celebrate that history and want to invest in future leadership from women in our organization, and our community through RISE.”

The Chamber and UNL College of Business made the announcement at Thursday’s 18th Annual Women in Business event at the Lincoln Marriott Cornhusker Hotel. The first RISE event will be held in January 2023 with more details available at a later date.