Recognizing the outstanding work and achievements of our graduates!
Neighborhood Service Organization Names Linda Little President & CEO-Elect
Linda Little, LA’2017
Sheilah Clay, LW Board Member
Congratulations to Leadership America 2017 graduate, Linda Little, for her recent appointment as the President and Chief Executive Officer-Elect for Neighborhood Service Organization (NSO), one of Michigan’s leading social service agencies. Current NSO President & CEO, LW Board Member and Leadership America 2014 graduate, Sheilah Clay will retire on December 31, 2018, after 18 years at the helm of NSO.
In their October 1 press release, NSO Board President Richard Lichtenstein said, “I want to praise Sheilah Clay for the extraordinary dedication, knowledge and leadership that she has compassionately provided to NSO over the past 22 years. Finding an executive with industry specific experience to follow her lead was no easy task.”
Dr. Lichtenstein added, “We are pleased that Linda Little has joined our agency as President and CEO-Elect. Linda’s deep experience in clinical healthcare, behavioral health, care management, education and financial management is unparalleled in this marketplace. Importantly, her previous involvement as an NSO Board member and her dedication to our mission make her uniquely qualified.”
Leadership Women also congratulates Sheilah Clay for her dedication and commitment to NSO. We wish her nothing but success in her next chapter!
One woman's fight for New Orleans' future
As part of a two-year tricentennial celebration, the Times-Picayune and NOLA.com embarked on a celebration of 300 events that shaped New Orleans, and 300 people who have made it a better place. One such person…Leadership America 2017 graduate, Melissa Sawyer!
Melissa’s work with the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) was focused in “Just say YEP: One woman’s fight for New Orleans’ future.” A native of Canada, Melissa came to New Orleans in 1998 with Teach for America and left two years later to get a Master’s degree from Harvard. She would later return to work for the Juvenile Justice under the Post Disposition Project to get young people out of jail. The article on NOLA.com states, “Sawyer realized there were no programs to help kids when they returned to their communities and tried to get an education so they could find work.” Thus YEP was born.
When asked why she stays in New Orleans, Melissa was quoted, “”Seeing for the first time the amount of dire poverty and the inequitable distribution of wealth in New Orleans was so staggering. I think that’s why I’m still here, quite frankly. We have so much work that we need to do. I don’t feel like I’ve played a big enough role in trying to make it better.” Read more at NOLA.com.
Anna Roach Fulton County's new COO
Leadership America 2018 graduate, Anna Roach, has just been named the new COO of Fulton County in Georgia.
The Atlanta Business Chronicle reported, “Fulton County Manager Dick Anderson has promoted the county’s chief strategy officer, Anna Roach, to become Fulton’s new chief operating officer. Roach has worked for Fulton County for five years. Before that, she spent 14 years as a criminal defense attorney and as a consultant to various government agencies, including MARTA, the Georgia Division of Aging Services and the city of East Point, Ga.”
“Anna’s leadership and acumen as an administrator made her a natural fit for this role,” Anderson said. “She is an innovator whose contributions to Fulton County have already accelerated our progress in areas of behavioral health, justice and performance management. I look forward to her continued success in this new role.”
LT Impact: The Value of Mentorship
Alyssa Cervantes, LT’16, Associate Managing Director at Texas Tech Health Sciences Center in El Paso, met America Adame during her Leadership Texas year. After America shared her story during a presentation at Amarillo College, Alyssa introduced herself. She saw the opportunity to show America that she could triumph and succeed in spite of life’s obstacles – and she has served as her mentor ever since. Alyssa challenged America to make good on her promise to graduate from college and as her mentor, she would accompany her every step of the way in her journey, to ensure that America reached every milestone and accomplishment that she dreamed to reach.
America graduated with a bachelor’s degree this past May, but Alyssa continues to mentor and guide her. “I remind her regularly that she is my role model, and one day, will tell her story to so many more young ladies who need to hear it. I know that one day soon, she will trade places with me, and will mentor young ladies just like herself,” adds Alyssa.
Leadership Women applauds Alyssa for exhibiting real leadership in action and for her commitment to mentoring America.
STEM Award at Murray State Honors 2 LW Board Members
The Murray State University TSM (Technology Solutions Management) program announced a new award to be given to women in technology. They have named it the Lana Garner Porter Award for Women in Technology to honor Lana Porter who has been a Murray State alumnae and has had an illustrious career in technology including AT&T and Ameritech Library Systems (the world’s largest provider of software for libraries).
The first honoree of this award is another Murray State alumnae, Trisha Cunningham, who had a 30 year career at Texas Instruments and rose through this technical company serving in many marketing capacities and was the Chief Citizen Officer before retiring in 2016. Since then, she has become the CEO of North Texas Food Bank, one of the tenth largest food banks in the country.
LW congratulates Board members Lana and Trisha!
United Way Award to Carolyn Schmies
Congratulations to Carolyn Schmies, LW Ambassador, for receiving the Barbara Ann Kazen Award from the United Way of Laredo Board of Directors in recognition of her volunteer spirit.
The Barbara Ann Kazen Award was created to recognize an individual who brings hope for a brighter tomorrow and faithfully gives of themselves to care, love and advocate for those less fortunate. Carolyn is on the Board of Directors of Literacy Volunteers (LVA), working to help hundreds of non-reading adults by developing fundraisers such as the “Adult Spelling Bee.” She has also developed fundraising programs at Laredo Community College to support the United Way.
LW Graduate Featured in Dallas Morning News
Beverley Wright, LA’05, LT’09, was recently featured in the May 1, 2018 issue of the Dallas Morning News, sharing her insights in starting her Coaching Business, Wright Choice Group, later in life.
Beverley states, “I see potential in people and I enjoy bringing that to the forefront.” And while her business allows her to coach business leaders in the areas of healthcare, financial services and transportation, she has also coached emerging leaders in our Leadership Pipeline program. LW would like to thank Beverley for her continued support of LW programs, her wisdom and leadership savvy.
Check out the full article here.
The Hospitals of Providence Announce New CEO of Transmountain Campus
Tasha Hopper, LT’18, is the new CEO of The Hospitals of Providence Transmountain hospital campus. She replaces Nicholas Tejeda, who recently was promoted to Providence’s El Paso Market CEO. Hopper, a registered nurse, has worked for Providence for 20 years. She previously was chief operating officer for the Transmountain campus, and oversaw construction of the hospital, which opened in 2017. She received her Bachelor’s degree in nursing, and Master’s degree in nursing administration from the University of Texas at El Paso.
This just in...LT 2014 Graduate Wins City Council Race
Canadian, Texas held a City Council Election on May 5th with Leadership Texas 2014 graduate and political newcomer, Wendie Cook, taking one of the three open seats available. As the results rolled in, Wendie posted, “A giant thank you to Canadian for giving me an opportunity to work for you. It will be my honor to do so. Now, it’s time for the work to begin. Cheers to our bright future!”
It's Official....Solis is El Paso's New Judge Elect for the 243rd District
LT 2012’s Selena Solis has officially announced that she is the Judge Elect for the 243rd District Court seat. Selena wrote on her campaign Facebook page, “It’s finally official! I’m the Judge Elect for the 243rd District Court. I am honored to continue my service in this capacity to El Paso, one of the best communities in the state! A heartfelt thank you for all your support. I can’t tell you how excited I am to be the sole nominee in the general election.”
Congratulations Selena!
Do you know of a LW graduate that has recently been promoted, received an award or been otherwise recognized as an outstanding leader? Please let us know!