Impact Center Partners with the White House to Manage Presidential Appointee Leadership Program

The Impact Center has been working with leaders across government to help them institutionalize change in this final year of the Obama Administration's first term. Our approach builds out our previous programs, offering customized opportunities for appointees to develop their management skills and strategic leadership approach so that they can deliver on their priorities and ensure that the change they have achieved is institutionalized at their agency. 

We facilitated a Cabinet-White House Retreat that gave top-level leaders an outlet to share best practices and develop a series of recommendations to the President that led to tangible improvements in Cabinet-level collaboration. Additionally, the Impact Center also coordinated a similar strategic meeting for the Deputy Secretaries on the President's Management Council. 

We developed a series of 13 on-boarding programs over the course of a year and half.  These sessions were designed to share information about the leadership culture of each department, better equip appointees to effectively implement the administration's agenda and build a stronger community of support through networking and small group discussions. Appointees also had the opportunity to hear best practices from top White House speakers and fellow Appointees.  

We look forward to continuing our work with Appointees across agencies in 2012.

Gender Intelligence Summit: How Can Men and Women Better Work Together?

Last December, the Impact Center partnered with American Express to convene a Gender Intelligence Summit in Washington, D.C.  The Summit brought together more than 150 diversity practitioners, senior managers and executives from across sectors, including: government, corporate, academic and non-profit, to constructively engage on the topic of how men and women can work effectively with each other.

 

Barbara Annis, world renowned Gender Intelligence expert, kicked off the day by laying the foundation for why it is critical to understand the science behind gender differences and the different strengths that men and women bring to the table. As she put it, building awareness of this issue has become a competitive advantage for businesses.  Then, with Ms. Annis as moderator, Dr. Ruben Gur, University of Pennsylvania and Dr. Marianne Legato, Columbia University, provided fascinating into the neuroscience behind gender intelligence.

The conversation with these two highly accomplished medical professionals illuminated some key areas where men and women's brains operate differently. For example, male brains tend to have more tracks in the brain reaching from front to back where as female brains tend to have more tracks reaching from left to right. This means that information is received and processed in such a way that male brains seek a solution to a problem immediately whereas a female brain will spend time thinking through different issues related to the problem before reaching a conclusion. Additionally, there are some genes that are the same in all people but expressed differently in each gender.

 

Later, a panel of high-impact leaders looked at GI from the perspective of a practitioner. Jennifer Allyn, Managing Director, Office of Diversity at PricewaterhouseCoopers, reminded us that, "understanding differences is the first step but valuing and embracing them is the hardest step." The rest of the panel echoed her statement in their affirmations that GI is a vital part of ensuring businesses can compete in the 21st Century.

 

The Summit concluded with our featured speaker, Ramon Martin, Executive Vice President, World Service Americas and Digital Servicing Strategy at American Express. A senior executive committed to inclusive, impactful leadership, Mr. Martin highlighted his own valuable lessons, insights and advice of working in the diversity space at American Express. He urged audience members to take action as they returned to their respective work places when he said, "we can do something and change some of our behaviors to become more inclusive in our thinking."

 

Both men and women came away from the summit with a better understanding of how to apply Gender Intelligence to their own practice of leadership and integrate it into their organizational culture. Some of the biggest "ah-ha!" moments from the day included:

• "Understanding that an integrative approach using Gender Intelligence includes science, bottom line and fairness - and that these will go a long way to changing institutions."
• "The conversation is not about 'blame,' but about understanding."
• "Understanding differences is one thing BUT the more important thing is VALUING those differences."
• "Love the emphasis on awareness as key - emphasizing and institutionalizing diversity as important in a corporate culture."

To see highlights from this year's Gender Intelligence Summit visit the website. You can also learn more about the 2011 Summit by reading coverage in The Glasshammer and Evolved Employer.

 

Stay tuned for more information about Gender Intelligence programming for individuals and institutions from the Impact Center! 

Congratulations to 2011 Fellow Erica Borggren

The Impact Center extends our congratulations to Erica Borggren, 2010 Women’s Leadership Fellow, on her appointment as the Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs for the state of Illinois.  

Erica was selected to participate in the Impact Center's 2010 Fellowship following a highly competitive national process that identified her as  an emerging woman leader who was committed to making an impact on our society. As a Fellow, Erica joined a cohort of women from every sector who supported one another while receiving a full year of mentoring, coaching and leadership training.
 
Erica explained that, “[The Impact Center's Women's Leadership Fellowship] help me define the ways in which I will lead on issues in the years to come by helping to identify passions, talents, and experiences and where they intersect."

We are proud to see Erica fulfilling her vision of leadership with her appointment as the Illinois Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs.  Prior to her appointment as Illinois Secretary of Veteran’s Affairs, Borggren worked independently as a Strategic Communications Consultant specializing in drawing out and giving voice to people and ideas. While still on active duty with the U.S. Army, deployed to Baghdad as a member of General Petraeus’s Commander’s Initiatives Group—a small group of strategic analysts and “designated thinkers”. Her work earned her the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Joint Service Achievement Medal, and the Iraq Campaign Medal.  Borggren’s career with the U.S. Army also includes seven years of active duty service as a Medical Service Corps Officer, three of which were spent in Seoul, South Korea with the 18th Medical Command.

Read More:

• Chicago Tribune Story
• Impact Center Press Release (pdf)
• More info about the Women's Leadership Fellows Program

Driving Corporate-Social Responsibility

On August 3^rd, the Impact Center will dive into the world of Corporate-Social Responsibility in San Francisco, California. Partnering with the global law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, we will present a program highlighting different companies leading the push for responsible business. 

Why Does Socially Responsible Business Matter?

In 2009, The Simmons School of Management along with Hewlett-Packard conducted a survey, the results of which revealed the significant role of social responsibility in company productivity. The survey found that over 75% of female respondents placed importance on working for a company that makes a positive impact on society.

In addition, the survey found women working for socially responsible companies had a greater sense of job commitment and satisfaction, leading to longer retention rates and a willingness to publically support the company. However, according to the same survey, only 45% of respondents were aware of their company’s social responsibility efforts and even less had actually participated in those initiatives.

Opportunities for Advancing Socially Responsible Practices 

The Impact Center is thrilled to have the opportunity to present a panel of outstanding women championing corporate-social responsibility in their sectors.

Our panelists will share their experiences and insights working in socially responsible businesses. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn best practices for applying these initiatives as well as how to increase their client base and employee retention through communicating company efforts internally and externally. 

Our expert panel will feature:

•  Beth Gerstein, Co-Founder of Brilliant Earth 

Beth Gerstein’s mission is to offer conflict-free diamonds produced with environmentally sustainable mining methods. 

•  Michele Hall, General Manager, Fabric Care at Method Products

Method strives to make highly effective cleaning products that are safe for the customer and for the earth. Their challenge is to make every product an agent of environmental change, using safe and sustainable materials that are manufactured responsibly. 

•  Yolanda Ruiz, Partner at Pacific Community Ventures, LLC

Pacific Community Ventures, LLC is committed to growing small businesses in California. Their unique hands-on approach to investing allows them to offer a combination of strategic, financial, operational, and entrepreneurial guidance to the companies in which they invest. 

•  Jung Yoo, Executive and Life Coach 

Jung Yoo will fill the role of moderator during this insightful discussion. Her passion is coaching clients across sectors to create greater fulfillment in their work.  

Orrick – A Responsible Partner

Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP is a global law firm with more than 1,100 lawyers and 22 offices in North America, Europe and Asia. Orrick clients include Fortune 500 companies, major industrial and financial corporations, commercial and investment banks, high-growth companies, governmental entities, start-ups and individuals. 

In 2010, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP launched a Social Sector Finance (SSF) practice group. SSF – also known as Sustainable Investment or Socially Responsible Investment – is unlike traditional finance in that it has a “triple-bottom line” investment approach. This means that SSF is geared towards achieving three investment objectives: financial return, social return, and environmental return. SSF clients focus on building scalable, sustainable solutions for individuals and companies throughout the world.  

Orrick’s history of pro bono work with organizations pursuing SSF objectives has allowed the firm to delve into an area in which few law firms operate. Their unique web of relationships with non-governmental and governmental agencies around the world allows Orrick to leverage its international footprint and broad expertise in finance to accelerate the delivery of basic goods and services to underserved populations.  

"Our long-standing pro bono work has allowed us to leverage and expand our knowledge and capabilities as well as develop relationships with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and governmental agencies involved in SSF sectors," said Cam Cowan, senior partner for the Transactional Division and a member of Orrick's Executive Committee.  "Through our prior pro bono work, we have discovered that few law firms operate in this space, and we view this as a unique opportunity for us to better support organizations pursuing SSF objectives."  

As a global law firm, with 22 offices in Asia, North America and Europe, Orrick is able to leverage its international footprint and broad expertise in finance to facilitate the delivery of basic goods and services to underserved populations. Orrick has represented SSF clients in a wide range of pro bono matters for many years. Since 2003, the firm has worked with leading SSF organizations including Calvert Foundation, CHF International, Enzi, Vittana, Water.org, MercyCorps and Kiva, and it currently represents a significant number of the largest and most active SSF organizations globally on both a pro bono and a paying basis. The firm also represents various SSF funds, capacity-building organizations, foundations and other key stakeholders. 

For more information on this special event, please visit our website at www.the-impact-center.org.

Announcing an Exciting New Impact Center Program!

The Impact Center is thrilled to introduce our new Mentoring Program, which provides qualified individuals with access to a mentor, a network of support and resources they need to reach their professional goals. 

This new program grew out of the increasing demand we have seen for our signature Fellowship program, a nationally competitive, year-long experience that gives a select group of emerging women leaders the opportunity to hone their skills and reach their full professional potential. 

With the creation of the Mentoring Program we can extend some of these benefits to a broader audience. The Mentoring Program operates with rolling admission, which will allow participants to get more immediate assistance targeting key professional or career issues when they arise. 

Mentors will offer their wealth of professional and personal experience to support mentees in areas such as career advancement, leadership, management and communication skills, building confidence, striking a balance between work and life pressures, and discovering a sense of purpose. Leaders in the program will also have access to a community of peer support for collaboration, problem solving and networking. 

The Impact Center believes in the importance of bringing leaders together so participants in the Mentoring Program will come together for a leadership seminar during their program. This will be an opportunity to share their experiences, learn together, and connect further with one another. 

To learn more and apply please visit our website at

  www.the-impact-center.org/mentoring.

If you or someone you know would be a good mentor for the program, please contact Erin Mann at

emann@the-impact-center.org.

2010 Fellow Hua Wang

When Hua Wang joined our Women’s Fellowship program she was in working to complete her law degree and looking for insights on what to do when she finished school…she found much more. It all started when the Impact Center paired her with, Sarah Wang, an attorney based in Chicago, where Hua was going to school. While being located in the same city allowed the two to meet face to face, it was the parallels in their lives that helped them form a close bond. Sarah had walked the path that Hua was on and could help her navigate her challenges. 

Throughout the year Sarah helped Hua refine her purpose and remain focused on her passions so she didn’t get hung up on the different possibilities before her. Because they both work in the field of law, Sarah was able to help Hua connect with the right people in the right places to find the career path she wanted. Additionally, Sarah helped encourage Hua to find additional outlets for making an impact on our society.  

Hua graduated from Northwestern this past May and will soon begin working at a Boston law firm. Since her fellowship she has become much more aware of women’s issues and the importance of leadership. She has even begun blogging on for sites such as the Glass Hammer. Hua on her fellowship, “I am honored to have been chosen to be a part of the fellowship, to be a part of this wonderful group of women. It is the reason I am where I am in my career today.”