ECWO looks ahead to 10 year anniversary as it remembers founder, Prof. Dianne Bevelander

The Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO) is looking ahead to its 10 year anniversary as it marks the passing of its founder, Prof. Dianne Bevelander, on Tuesday August 29th.

“Remembering Dianne on the day she died, two years ago now, is always painful but it is also always a time for reflection on her life and legacy,” says Prof. Hanneke Takkenberg, who took over the ECWO Executive Director role in 2021.

“Dianne might be gone but she is very much alive, through the Dianne Bevelander Fund which has enabled us to award the Dianne Bevelander Prize twice already and will soon expand its impact through the awarding of travel grants. We are also greatly looking forward to celebrating what Dianne started in 2014 with ECWO’s 10 year anniversary in 2024.”

Dianne Bevelander Prize winners

The inaugural Dianne Bevelander Prize was won by RightBrains founder Geke Rosier in 2022 and this year was won by Karen de Sousa Pesse, an advocate for women’s rights in STEM.

Other key ECWO events coming up in the next few months include the annual conference which this year takes place on November 24th at De Forumzaal at Erasmus University Rotterdam (EUR). Details of the programme and tickets will be shared early September.

The ECWO team will be walking to what is now known as “Dianne’s tree” on the EUR campus on August 29th, leaving from the Bayle Building at 3pm. All community members and those who knew Prof. Bevelander are invited to join in the walk.

Help continue Dianne Bevelander's legacy

If you would like to be part of continuing Prof. Bevelander’s legacy through the Dianne Bevelander Prize and grants, you can find details on how to donate here.

More information

The Erasmus Centre for Women and Organisations (ECWO) is committed to fostering inclusion. Our founding purpose in 2014 was to empower women and to create a level playing field by building communities for organisational change. Today, ECWO has expanded its perspective to embrace a wider vision of a world of inclusive prosperity. Our new mission is to create a sense of belonging for everyone within organisations through diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), anchored in social safety. We strive for settings where everyone feels valued, respected and supported. We conduct research and produce evidence-led educational programmes, events, coaching, advocacy, and advisory services. We stay true to our roots, and we have evolved to recognise that achieving true inclusion and equity requires encompassing all, regardless of gender or identity.