News
Senator Mo Cowan Receives Award from UMass Boston Center for Collaborative Leadership
On May 6, 2013, the UMass Boston Center for Collaborative Leadership presented Interim Senator William “Mo” Cowan with their inaugural Building a Better Boston Award. The concept for the award originated in 2007 when an Emerging Leaders Program team was charged with helping to identify ways for Boston to retain young professionals. Their recommendation was to create awards recognizing individuals who have improved the community. Their research suggested that young professionals would have more faith in the organizations they work for and the region by seeing these efforts receiving public recognition. The Center took up the mantle this year with the Building a Better Boston Award.
The Center selected Senator Cowan for the award because he is widely recognized for his contributions to advancing the region through his work as a convener and collaborator. Lisa DeAngelis, director of the center opened the ceremony by explaining, “the Building a Better Boston Award enables us to showcase for our fellows a current leader who is demonstrating the impact of collaborative leadership.”
Aside from all of his contributions as former chief of staff to Governor Deval Patrick, Senator Cowan is known for his work as a mentor to young black professionals looking to succeed in the City of Boston and to his service on many nonprofit boards such as Northeastern University Corporation, Discovering Justice Foundation, Roxbury Preparatory Charter School, the Chestnut Hill School, Project STEP, Boston Bar Association, Boston Bar Foundation, Boston Lawyers Group, Victim Rights Law Center, Volunteer Lawyers Project, and the Center for Collaborative Leadership at UMass Boston, all of which validates his devotion to the community while building a better Boston.
Robert Popeo, chairman of Mintz Levin presented the award to Cowan stating, “from the start, Cowan was a role model for the law firm” when he worked there. He also noted that Cowan always had a passion for public service, and that led him to his decision to leave Mintz Levin to serve as Governor Patrick’s Chief Legal Counsel.
For his part, Senator Cowan displayed humility upon accepting the award. He humorously suggested that he probably was selected for this award in the same way he was selected as Interim Senator. He stated, “I see many faces in this room that I recognize, each of whom should be the recipients of this award in the years to come. Each of us has the potential to be a leader. If we foster and support others, it can blossom, just like the Center for Collaborative Leadership is doing, we can build a stronger city.”
Cowan noted that small acts define true leadership, as we saw in the wake of the marathon bombings. “We saw plain folk running toward the blast zone, carting the injured to safety to save lives.” Cowan concluded that “together, we can do a lot.”
University of Massachusetts Boston Chancellor J. Keith Motley wrapped up the event by reading a letter from Governor Deval Patrick, in which he writes, “Senator Cowan has long been a trusted friend, colleague and advisor. His wisdom, perspective and sound judgment have made him a valued ally to our work on behalf of the residents of the Commonwealth. I can think of no better person to receive the inaugural Building a Better Boston Award than Senator Cowan, and I thank him for his continued service to our community.”
Founding Director Awarded the Status of Professor Emerita
February 2013
The Center’s founding director, Sherry Penney, has been awarded the status of Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts Boston in recognition of her teaching, scholarship, and service. In their letter of award, Chancellor J. Keith Motley and Provost Winston Langley wrote:
You are held in high esteem among your peers for your contributions to the development of emerging business leaders; your impact on UMass Boston, first as its Chancellor (1988-1995; 1996-2000) and then from 2001 as Sherry H. Penney Professor in Leadership and Director of CM’s Center for Collaborative Leadership has been transformative. In 1995, you served as Interim President of the University of Massachusetts system. Your retirement in December 2012 thus marks a formal milestone in an illustrious career… It is UMass Boston’s privilege at this time to recognize and honor you with the title of Professor Emerita for your invaluable contributions to making our campus a compelling force in the sphere of public higher education.
NECN’s CEO Corner Featured the Emerging Leaders Program
Check out the interview on-line!
Lisa DeAngelis, Director of the Center for Collaborative Leadership and the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP) was interviewed by Peter Howe of NECN for his weekly segment, CEO Corner. The CEO Corner features interviews and discussion with New England’s key business leaders. Joining DeAngelis were ELP alums Craig Williams ‘07 and Rick Jakious ‘09. Williams is the Chief Operating Officer at Tufts Medical Center and Jakious is the Chief Executive Officer of the Massachusetts Nonprofit Network. The interview focused on the lessons learned in the ELP, and how those lessons carry over into their roles as C-level leaders. Aired Sunday, February 10, 2013 at 8:30 PM.
Read More »Lisa DeAngelis Invited to West Point
February 2013
Center for Collaborative Leadership Director, Lisa DeAngelis, was invited to West Point as part the Authentic Leadership Institute (ALI). Led by Nick Craig, President of ALI, DeAngelis was among a select group of facilitators chosen to work with a group of faculty and staff at West Point from February 8 – 10, 2013. The purpose of the visit was to clarify the West Point faculty and staff’s strengths, articulate their motivators, and discover their purpose.
DeAngelis states, “Those at West Point clearly understand leadership in a way that many of us never will. Their decisions truly do have life or death implications. And yet, this group was quickly able to drill down to the essence of who they are and their unique leadership gifts. By the end of the weekend they were already thinking about ways to integrate this into their current role at West Point.”
The Authentic Leadership Institute works with a wide variety of organizations to deliver extraordinary programs to shift the effectiveness of leaders and build the foundations of effective organizations. ALI programs help individuals increase their self-awareness and learn how to leverage their unique gifts as leaders.
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What we learned from Michael Brown and Earl Martin Phalen
What do City Year CEO Michael Brown and Reach Out and Read CEO Earl Martin Phalen have in common? Apparently, they both would have made excellent lawyers. During the 2013 ELP Forum at City Year on January 17, fellows heard from Michael Brown and Earl Martin Phalen. During the course of hearing their stories, we learned that both attended Harvard Law School, and both had plans on pursuing law as a career. It seems they led parallel lives as each also had a pivotal moment during the course of their education that influenced them to walk away from such a lucrative career.
For Brown, it was interning for then Representative Leon Panetta. Representative Panetta exposed Brown to an idea that would change his life: National Service. For Phalen, it was volunteering at an orphanage in Haiti as a school teacher. Those crucible moments allowed for each to take a risk and follow their passion. For Brown, it was co-founding City Year with his college roommate Alan Khazei, and for Phalen, it was starting BELL (Building Educated Leaders for Life). Each is an extremely successful nonprofit organization that really does change the lives of young people.
The Center for Collaborative Leadership thanks each of these individuals for stepping out of their comfort zones, and finding the courage to choose a path that is not often chosen. And we thank you both for sharing your stories with the fellows of the Emerging Leaders Program 2013 cohort.
Farewell to Dr. Sherry Penney
Stephen Roger’s speech at the ELP Holiday Party on 12/12/12:
When I first leaned down to shake Sherry’s hand in January of 2008, I had no idea how much I would come to look UP to her in the coming years. I was driving by UMass the other day, looking at all of the new building activity. Thinking of UMass always reminds me of ELP, which leads me to thinking of Sherry Penney. The buildings at UMass were being created to address a gap in the school’s infrastructure, to ensure the school continues to thrive into the future. Sherry identified a similar gap in the interpersonal infrastructure of greater Boston, a need for more cross-sector leadership, which caused her to found the Center for Collaborative Leadership and the Emerging Leaders Program.
It’s clear when you’re done building a building…the finishing touches are complete, the building inspector comes in and declares it structurally sound and safe. You’ve made your vision a reality. But when your vision isn’t as concrete as a physical structure, how do you know when it’s complete? How do you know when its safe to move on?
When ELP started, threads began to connect each of us, across the city, state, backgrounds and sectors. Since then, the threads have woven into a strong web that blankets the state, connecting each of us, helping us make differences we never could have otherwise…these threads that connect those in this room, and many more, they all lead back to you Sherry. And so as you look out to this room, at the people you’ve helped grow and their connection to each other, its clear that you’ve ensured that the Center for Collaborative Leadership and the Emerging Leaders Program will continue to grow and thrive, it’s clear that you’ve achieved your vision. And so, I’d like to welcome all of us here whose threads lead back to Sherry to say thanks with a round of applause.
Stephen Roger is an alum from the 2008 program and currently serves on the ELP Alumni Board as Vice Chair
Read More »Jeff Swartz: Message of Collaboration and Social Change
Jeff’s message conveyed that the class of 2012 coupled with the collective power of over 400 alums of the Emerging Leaders Program can make a difference. As leaders, we all need to think about real collaboration for real solutions to problems. When Timberland started their collaboration with City Year, he stated, “It wasn’t about giving them red jackets for a photo op. It was about investing in a social justice organization by helping them learn how to run a business that is sustainable.” He noted that every corporation today needs to have a strategy for profit and a strategy for social justice. It requires hard work, conviction, accountability, and collaboration. Jeff challenged the emerging leaders to create an agenda for social change that is integral to the business strategy. He concluded by stating “I look towards you hopefully. It is in your hands to make a difference, and the world awaits you.”
Emerging Leaders October Forum at BNY Mellon
On October 18, 2012 fellows attended the Emerging Leaders Program forum on Navigating Change and Strategic Planning sponsored by Bank of New York Mellon. Our morning Path to Leadership speaker was Vicary Graham, President of BNY Mellon Wealth Management’s New England region. We were fortunate to have alums of the Program from BNY Mellon join us for her talk: Carl Guerin ‘11, Patrick Hughes ‘12, and Samanda Morales ‘07, along with current fellow Katie Simmarano. Graham provided an account of how she was able to rise through the ranks at BNY Mellon. Hughes, a Senior Supervisor for the organization said, “Listening to Vicary speak was both enlightening and motivating. As she spoke about the series of mergers the company has gone through during her time of service, I realized the immense faith she has in the organization’s ability to integrate several business functions, eliminate redundancies, and effectively move forward as one business unit seeking to maximize stakeholder value.” Graham also reflected on what she would have done differently as she gave her advice to the emerging leaders in the room, “Don’t wait to build your network. I waited too long. You need to develop key relationships, and create a peer network. It’s so important. A good peer network can help you to think strategically about your next steps.” She went on to talk about the importance of building your brand, assessing yourself formally with a 360 or MBTI, and taking the time to think strategically.
The fellows also heard from the Executive Director of the Kendall Square Association, Travis McCready. McCready spoke of his “quick six” lessons for emerging leaders. Much of what he spoke about echoed Graham’s advice including the value of having a trusted peer network. Both also spoke about the importance of being financially literate. In business, as a leader, it doesn’t matter if you are not a numbers person or do not have responsibility for the budget, you need to know how to interpret and analyze numbers. McCready added that it’s also very important to know that you are worth a certain amount, and to never sell yourself short. Another parallel in each of their talks was about branding yourself. McCready stated, “Everything you do is an opportunity to market yourself as a leader.” He advised fellows to think of themselves as Griots: master story tellers that are able to take words and convert them to images of success. The fourth of the “quick six” was to “do process when process is due” meaning don’t ignore the red tape. Not following a process where there is a process can lead to disaster, so his advice was to jump through the hoops to save yourself in the long run. Number five: to teach is the learn twice. Simply stated, you can learn a lot by helping others, and sometimes “it helps you to expose flaws in your logic.” Finally, he advised fellows to not be afraid of the risks involved with leadership. As a leader, there is always a proverbial sword hanging over your head. And, as a leader, if the sword falls, don’t take it personally, learn from it, and move on.
The day was book-ended with two very intense skill sessions. Professor Marc Lavine of UMass Boston’s College of Management facilitated a session on Navigating Change. He advised the fellows to shift from problem solving to what he terms “positive deviance”: the ability to think about what is possible, and strive for an outcome that is exceptional. Greg Collins, Operating Partner at Blue Wolf Capital Partners, facilitated the Change and Strategy session. One fellow stated, “I could listen and learn so much from [Greg] and did! Dynamite presentation that had the teams on track moving in a direction towards accomplishing greatness.”
ELP Selects Team Project Sponsors for 2013 Fellows
Each year, the Fellows in the UMass Boston Center for Collaborative Leadership’s Emerging Leaders Program discover and practice collaborative leadership skills by working together in peer-led teams on projects that involve multiple stakeholders and have broad civic impacts. The projects for 2013 contribute to the economic and social well-being of the Boston area by harnessing the power of an engaged community.
The six project sponsors selected for this year are: Children’s Trust Fund (CTF); Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts; Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR); Science from Scientists; and UMass Boston’s Center for Social Policy and Center for Collaborative Leadership. On September 12th the Fellows will learn about each of the sponsor organizations and their projects.
The Emerging Leaders Program Fellows that select the CTF will help them establish a Young Professionals group that will act as an advocate on behalf of CTF in the community. The team that selects the Girl Scouts of Eastern Massachusetts will assist in a major website restructure and redesign enabling them to engage their different audiences (girls, adult volunteers, staff, and donors). The Massachusetts Business Roundtable will work with an ELP Team to review symbiotic relationships that are emerging between small businesses and large companies in order to highlight these relationships and their impact on our economy in Massachusetts. Science from Scientists will work with a team of Fellows to design and develop a communications toolkit to support their strategic goals. The UMass Boston Center for Social Policy (CSP), with its Fourth World Movement (FWM) partner, will engage the ELP team in a pilot program of dialogues for their ‘merging knowledge’ project. Finally, the Center for Collaborative Leadership will work with a team to explore how we measure the impact of the project team work for both the participants and the sponsor organizations.
The Center’s Director, Lisa DeAngelis, worked to solicit impactful projects with a number of Boston area organizations. She states, “The reality for many of these organizations is that they are under-staffed and over-worked. A team of highly qualified Fellows from our program provides the additional expertise that enables these non-profits to make substantial progress on strategic initiatives.”
On October 3, the Fellows from the 2012 Emerging Leaders Program will present their project outcomes at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. The 2012 group worked with the Mass Business Roundtable, Boston Health Care for the Homeless, Boston Tenant Coalition, and UMass Boston’s Trotter Institute, Center for Social Policy, and the Center for Collaborative Leadership. To find out more about this event, please visit http://www.leaders.umb.edu/index.php/event/2012_emerging_leaders_program_team_project_presentation/.
Read More »ELP July Forum at EMC
On Thursday, July 19, 2012, Emerging Leaders Program Fellows met at EMC Corporation for their last official forum. In the morning, the cohort heard from Path to Leadership speaker Gail Deegan. As a member of the EMC Corporation Board of Advisers, Deegan serves as Chair of Audit Committee and Member of Governance and Nominating Committee. She offered plenty of leadership advice including, “get good information, and take a stand, however, be willing to change if you know your stand is wrong because no matter what, you need to keep moving forward.”
In addition to hearing from Deegan, the Fellows presented on their team projects. The first team discussed distilling the best practices in corporate wellness initiatives. A write-up on that project with the MBR can be found in the UMass Boston News. The second team worked with Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program to evaluate their social media outreach and engagement. The third team proposed a marketing and communications plan to their sponsoring organization, the Boston Tenant Coalition. Team four’s work supported the Upham’s Corner Collaborative in exploring arts and economic development strategies for that area. The fifth team engaged with the UMass Boston Center for Social Policy. They are working on a video to highlight the CSP which will premiere at their 20th Anniversary Gala on October 17. Finally, team seven worked with the Center for Collaborative Leadership to enhance alumni engagement. Their work will help the Center create an on-line centralized platform for a one-stop-shop for communication and distance learning.
We look forward to hearing the consolidated team project to community and business stakeholders on October 3 at the Federal Reserve.
About the Emerging Leaders Program
The Program selects a diverse group of high potential individuals from the corporate, non-profit and public sectors to participate in a 9-month long leadership development program consisting of 90 hours of “in class” sessions. A cornerstone of this program is broadening the participants’ awareness of issues facing the region and challenging them to offer solutions. Survey data shows the alumni are more civically engaged as a result of the program. Liveda Clements, 2003 Senior Fellow from Blue Cross Blue Shield, writes:
The program provides Boston with a diverse group of dynamic leaders who are prepared to collaborate in order to develop creative solutions for some of Boston’s most pressing issues, for this, the program should be recognized as one of Boston’s most valuable assets.
Please click here for more information about the Emerging Leaders Program.
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Emerging Leaders at UMass Boston Work to Make Bay State More Business-Friendly
By Colleen Locke, UMass Boston Office of Communications | July 11, 2012
Fellows enrolled in the Emerging Leaders Program (ELP), based out of the Center for Collaborative Leadership at the University of Massachusetts Boston, are preparing their findings on projects that work to improve the health of the work force, living areas, and economic districts in Greater Boston.
Fellows in UMass Boston’s nine-month executive training program have been working since January with the center, the Massachusetts Business Roundtable (MBR), Boston Health Care for the Homeless, the Boston Tenant Coalition, and UMass Boston’s William Monroe Trotter Institute for the Study of Black History and Culture. They join a list of more than 400 professionals from over 150 nonprofit, government, and private-sector organizations who have participated in team projects since the program was founded 10 years ago.
“We have found that team projects that engage current civic and economic challenges are a powerful way for the fellows to enhance their leadership skills,” said Lisa DeAngelis, director of the Center for Collaborative Leadership.
Fellows Mark Auriemma and Kelly Dougherty are part of the team working with the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, which is committed to making the state more business-friendly.
Auriemma works at State Street, managing client relationships with institutional money managers for the Stable Value Group. Dougherty is the executive director of the CardioVascular Center at Tufts Medical Center. They are a part of a six-member group that has been working on identifying best practices in corporate wellness programs that could potentially change the perception of Massachusetts as an expensive place to do business.
“I am focusing on presenting the case for pursuing wellness programming – why, particularly in Massachusetts, this may represent a good value proposition for employers,” Dougherty said.
JD Chesloff, executive director of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, said the organization’s ongoing relationship with UMass Boston and the Emerging Leaders Program has been invaluable.
The partnership “offers a high-quality, reliable resource for research that we do not have the internal capacity to conduct. It is also a pleasure working with the emerging leaders and the ELP staff to promote a program which we believe is important to the community,” Chesloff said.
The fellows say their involvement has produced professional and personal benefits.
“One of the best parts of the Emerging Leaders Program is that it has encouraged me to think beyond my own industry and career, and to think more broadly about the issues affecting my community and how I can become more involved,” Dougherty said.
Fellows working on five separate projects presented their findings to each other on July 19. They will present results to sponsors in September, with a final presentation for stakeholders scheduled for October 3 at the Federal Reserve Bank in Boston.
Read More »Exhale Magazine Features Emerging Leaders Program
In the Summer 2012 Issue of Exhale Magazine, three Boston area leadership development programs are highlighted, including the UMass Boston Emerging Leaders Program. Patti Quint, senior vice president at Citibank and alumna of the 2007 program is featured in the article:
On a personal level, Quint said the program boosted her self-confidence and inspired her to pursue the pivotal next step in her career. “I think I had been in the shadow of other people, and maybe relied on other people a little more and hadn’t necessarily taken that lead role,” she said. “I think my biggest accomplishment was building that belief in myself and my skills.” Check out Top Leadership Programs for Boston’s Rising Women by Lauren Carter.
Also featured in the Summer issue is Marlo Fogelman of marlo marketing / communications. Check out The Marlo Method: Winning Over One Client at a Time by Abby Kurzman.
Emerging Leaders Program June 2012 Forum
The June Emerging Leaders Program Forum focused on authentic leadership. Much of the day was spent working with John Haskell of the Authentic Leadership Institute (ALI). The ALI “helps leaders find their true north.” Evaluations from the session were very positive, including comments such as: This workshop helped me to think about my own leadership development and how I see myself developing and growing; This was a very useful session. It helped us connect with our classmates in ways that we hadn’t before; I really enjoyed the small group exercise. We were able to build a relationship as we shared our experiences.
The Fellows also heard from Path to Leadership speaker David Howse, Executive Director of the Boston Children’s Chorus. Howse spoke about how he learned about leadership through music. It started in fourth grade when his teacher appointed him as the lead character in the school play. Today he realizes that this opportunity and others like it helped him reach his full potential as a leader.
Read More »ELP Ladies Golf Clinic
Golf is a great networking opportunity that many ELP alumna noted missing out on. To help our ELP alumna learn the game of golf, the Center for Collaborative Leadership hosted a Ladies Golf Clinic for Beginners on May 30. President’s Golf Course in Quincy provided the ideal location for the clinic, as well as the instruction. Assistant golf pros Jim McMahon and Rob Churchill taught the attendees putting, chipping and the rules of the game. Sixteen alums learned how to line up their putts, practice putting speed, and learned the delicate art of the chip. After, they enjoyed some drinks, appetizers, and catching up with each other in the on-site restaurant, The View. Stay tuned for more information about the Golf Clinic, Part II.
Emerging Leaders Program May Forum
The Emerging Leaders Program May 17, 2012 forum was hosted by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. Fellows heard from three impressive Path to Leadership speakers: Bob Sheridan, CEO of SBLI, Kevin Harron, Founder and CEO of Burtons Grill, and Dr. Dana Gelb Safran, Senior Vice President for Performance Measurement and Improvement for the Health Care Services Division of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. In addition, fellows learned the importance of their brand from our Founding Director, Dr. Sherry Penney. In addition, Benyamin B. Lichtenstein, Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship & Management at UMass Boston facilitated Leadership as “Entrepreneuring”: Dynamics for Creating, Growing and Sustaining Organizations and Important Projects. ELP fellows in the 2012 cohort have 2 sessions remaining in the program.
At this time, as the Center prepares the remaining forums for 2012, we are also gearing up for the first ever September Emerging Leaders Program.
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