The Ally Couch | Empowered Together: Women Leaders and the Power of Allyship

Join The Boston Club for an engaging discussion on the significance of allyship among women leaders. This intimate conversation with TBC’s newly formed leadership team will delve into the significance of fostering inclusive environments and the critical role of mentorship in empowering women. Attendees will gain practical strategies for building robust allyship networks, ensuring that all voices are heard and supported.

On the Couch:

• Michele Liu Baillie: The Boston Club’s Board Chair and award-winning patent attorney, Michele brings over 30 years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized firms, startups, and individual inventors in the U.S. and internationally. Her contributions have been recognized through accolades like “Top Women of Law” by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2018 and being named a Super Lawyer from 2018 to 2024.
• Barbara Hayes: The Boston Club’s executive director and a seasoned leader in the nonprofit sector, Barbara is passionate about empowering education leaders through transformative leadership training. Her expertise includes stakeholder engagement, strategic partnerships, and fostering equitable, inclusive cultures.

Michele and Barbara have formed a relationship that is breaking new ground in The Boston Club and epitomizes the true value of Allyship.   Don’t miss this opportunity to learn from these remarkable leaders about the power of allyship in shaping a progressive future for women in leadership!

Our Speakers

Michele Liu Baillie, Sunstein LLP

Michele Liu Baillie is an award-winning patent attorney and a recognized leader in her field. For over 30 years, Michele has worked closely with many Fortune 500 companies, mid-sized companies, startups, and individual inventors in the U.S. and abroad, including Silicon Valley and New England.

Michele specializes in preparing and prosecuting utility and design patents, patentability analyses, product clearances, and trademark prosecution. Her expertise includes the counseling of clients in U.S. and foreign patent filing strategy and portfolio management. Michele has the distinction of being named as a "Top Women of Law" by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in 2018, Super Lawyer in 2018-2024, and named a Rising Star by Super Lawyers in 2015-2016.

Michele has held many leadership positions throughout her career and is actively involved in the community. In addition to her current role as the Board Chair of The Boston Club, Michele served on the Board of Directors of the Women's Bar Association of Massachusetts (WBA) for nine years. Michele had the distinction of serving as the President of the WBA from 2017-2018 and currently serves on their Emeritus Board. Michele is a member of the Boston Bar Association (BBA), the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), and the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts (AALAM).

Michele has a J.D. from the University of San Francisco School of Law and a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin. Michele is a registered patent attorney with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and is licensed in Massachusetts.

Barbara Hayes, The Boston Club

Barbara Hayes is an experienced leader in the nonprofit space, most recently at New Leaders, a New York City-based organization committed to equipping education leaders to be powerful and positive forces for change through best-in-class leadership training. Barbara’s passion and accomplishments have focused on developing stakeholder engagement and strategic partnerships, strengthening mission impact, driving revenue growth, and building equitable, inclusive, and thriving cultures.

She earned her Ed. M., Human Development & Education, from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and her BA, International Relations & Women’s Studies, from Hampshire College.

Our Moderators

Christy Egun is the Director of Community Health at Mass General Brigham, overseeing all aspects of community health at Mass General Hospital and Mass Eye and Ear Institute.

Joanne Derr is an Executive Coach and former vice president of Human Resources across multiple industries where she spearheaded diversity, equity and inclusion strategies and diversity committees. Joanne is an active member and co-chair of TBC’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee.