New Coaching Partners program connects the association’s Washington members with rigorously vetted, proven executive coaches — beginning with a Harvard-trained clinical neuropsychologist who spent 13 years with the Department of Defense, including nine advising senior leaders at the Office of Naval Intelligence

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Women Leaders Association, the largest publisher and events organization for women professionals with 43,000 members and more than 130 regional chapters, today announced Dr. Megan Laabs as the first official Coaching Partner of its Washington chapter, WashingtonWomenLeaders.org. The appointment launches the association’s new Coaching Partners program in the Washington metro area, giving members direct access to executive coaches who have been carefully screened for credentials, track record, and client results.

The Coaching Partners program was created to solve a problem the association’s members raise constantly: executive coaching is one of the highest-impact investments a professional woman can make in her career — and one of the hardest to shop for. Coaching titles are unregulated, quality varies enormously, and a leader evaluating coaches on her own has little way to verify who is genuinely proven. Under the new program, the Women Leaders Association does much of that screening on the member’s behalf. Every Coaching Partner is vetted for recognized certifications, verifiable experience, and excellent client reviews before being presented to members, so each chapter’s professionals can book a consultation with confidence, have a great experience, and keep rising in their careers.

Dr. Laabs brings a background that is genuinely rare in executive coaching. A clinical neuropsychologist and ICF Professional Certified Coach whose practice motto is “High-Performance Leadership, Backed by Science,” she spent nine years as an executive advisor at the Office of Naval Intelligence where she built an Operational Psychology Program and coached senior leaders responsible for some of the highest-stakes teams in government earning a Meritorious Civilian Service Award. She completed a postdoctoral clinical neuropsychology fellowship at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital and treated military patients as a neuropsychologist at Walter Reed Army Medical Center before transitioning to serve in the Department of Defense. For Washington-area members, she offers a one-on-one coaching partnership focused on decision making, strategic clarity, communication, and resilience empowering clients to align their values and build confidence to show up at their best. She also offers specialized assessment tools such as the EQ-i 2.0 and Hogan to give clients a clear, data-driven foundation at any point in their coaching journey, eliminating guesswork and pinpointing where to focus for maximum growth as well as tailored leadership seminars for teams.

“Women executives are navigating more complexity and pressure than at any point in their career, and they deserve more than generic advice,” said Dr. Laabs. “My work brings the science of how the brain performs into the coaching relationship, so leaders can see their patterns clearly, build resilience, and lead with genuine confidence. I am honored to partner with the Women Leaders Association and to help Washington’s women professionals keep rising.”

Washington-area members can view Dr. Laabs’ full profile, including her focus areas and credentials, schedule a complimentary consultation directly through her calendar, or send her a private note through her page at https://WashingtonWomenLeaders.org/coaching.html?coach=MeganLaabs

“Our members tell us coaching is one of the most valuable investments they make in their careers, and also one of the most confusing purchases,” said Lydia Price, 2026 Volunteer Chair of the Women Leaders Association. “The Coaching Partners program does the heavy lifting for them. We vet every coach for credentials, experience, and reviews before they ever appear on a chapter site, so a member can walk into a free consultation knowing she is meeting a proven professional. Bringing a coach of Dr. Laabs’ caliber to our Washington members is exactly what this program was built to do.”

The Washington launch is part of a national rollout, with the association planning to extend the Coaching Partners program across its network of more than 130 chapters, pairing each city’s members with coaches selected for that market.

The Coaching Partners program extends the association’s broader mission of giving professional women both the structural transparency and the individual support they need to advance. Research from Pew and others estimates that women still earn roughly 15 percent less than men on average, and most women have little visibility into which employers actually advance women fairly. The Women Leaders Association has invested heavily in closing that information gap: its Glass Ceiling Score project, available at WomanLeaders.org/r/GlassCeiling, uses big data to score most major U.S. employers on how fairly they promote women into management and executive roles, and its chapters publish Best Women Employers rankings, compensation studies, and annual Top 50 Women Leaders awards. Coaching Partners adds the complementary, personal dimension: once a member can see the landscape clearly, a proven coach helps her move through it.

About Dr. Megan Laabs

Dr. Megan Laabs is a clinical neuropsychologist, executive advisor, and ICF Professional Certified Coach (PCC), and a Marshall Goldsmith-certified practitioner. She holds a Doctorate of Psychology from The George Washington University, completed her clinical neuropsychology fellowship at Harvard Medical School/McLean Hospital, and earned her B.A. in psychology from Washington University in St. Louis. She works with executives, founders, and women at every stage of their career journey, and with organizations seeking assessment, team optimization, and tailored leadership seminars. Washington members can schedule a free consultation through her profile at https://WashingtonWomenLeaders.org/coaching.html?coach=MeganLaabs

About the Women Leaders Association

The Women Leaders Association is a non-profit committed to the development and advancement of women in the corporate arena. With 43,000 members and more than 130 chapters in major cities, it is the largest publisher and events organization serving women professionals, producing conferences, leadership programs, original research, and daily publications for its members. We also celebrate the top 50 business women in each city, publish a Glass Ceiling Score ranking how well most employers advance women, and then recognize the best women’s employers in each city from these rankings.

Events Near You: https://WomanLeaders.org/r/

Best Employers Near You: https://WomanLeaders.org/r/GlassCeiling

Media Contact: Women Leaders Association, Service@WomanLeaders.org, https://WomanLeaders.org

Free Washington Women Leaders Resources — available to all women in the Washington metro at no charge:

News: https://WashingtonWomenLeaders.org/NewsTop 50 Women: https://WashingtonWomenLeaders.org/top-50.htmlBest Women Employers and Glass Ceiling Scores: https://WashingtonWomenLeaders.org/GlassCeiling

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SOURCE Women Leaders Association