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March EDC Women’s Herstory Month
Greetings,
March is Women’s Herstory Month, and I am thrilled to feature women executives leading organizations and/or programs serving Lake County women and families. I have asked these leaders to share some pearls of wisdom that they have cultivated during their leadership journeys. I will also share some lessons learned during my own journey. The women featured in the article are Nicole Robinson, CEO YWCA Metropolitan Chicago, Sandy T. Williams, Executive Director of the Zacharias Center, Aida Segura, House of Peace Director, and me.
Nicole Robinson, CEO YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago
What is your favorite thing about leading your organization?
I love that the YWCA of Metro Chicago is at the intersection of exactly what Chicagoland needs --- from Cook County to DuPage County to Lake County. This region has given me so much – I’m a product of public schools; public libraries were my afterschool programs; parks were my summer programs, and my family relied on public benefits to make ends meet. Our region has a rich cultural and business infrastructure --- but it is also a place where we have deep racial, health, and economic inequity. A place where health disparities related to chronic health conditions and an overabundance of emotional fatigue co-exist.
What excites me about the YWCA are the 300-plus employees who bring our mission to life by building community resilience to heal from trauma and belong, by unleashing the potential in children and youth (from early childhood to opportunity youth) and by building economic equity that communities need to thrive (workforce, entrepreneurship, and housing).
What is one leadership lesson that you have learned on your journey that you would like to share with girls and women who are earlier in their own leadership journeys?
Believe in yourself and ask for help! The challenges leaders face today are unprecedented regardless of whether you represent corporate, healthcare, non-profit, or government sectors. We’re at our best as leaders – and as people when we seek counsel, ask for help, and surround ourselves with a community of people who can help us learn and succeed. One of my favorite quotes that captures this idea is by feminist social commentary and icon Bell Hooks, who says, “One of the most vital ways we sustain ourselves is by building communities of resistance, places where we know we are not alone.”
Sandy T. Williams, Executive Director, Zacharias Center
What is your favorite thing about leading your organization and/or working with the populations served by your program?
I am humbled by the opportunity to lead ZCenter and be a voice for such a delicate topic. There is still much to do to bring awareness to the issue of sexual assault, and I don’t take that role lightly. I am energized by our creative and dynamic team, and love having the opportunity to have an influence on them and their work. Each day brings a new perspective, challenge, or opportunity, and we always work together to put our best foot forward. We encourage and uplift each other while also making sure to have some fun along the way.
What is one leadership lesson that you have learned on your journey that you would like to share with girls and women who are earlier in their own leadership journeys?
The lesson that I would like to teach young girls and women as they embark on their leadership journey is to trust your instinct and treat it with respect. There will be so many moments along the way that will require you to make a decision that can impact your future, and your body will know what is right for you, even when your mind might not be ready to accept it. In most instances, you already know the answer; you just have to listen. I will acknowledge that it takes time to get past the fear and anxiety that might get in the way, but in the end, going with your intuition will always pay off.
I will close with this quote by Maya Angelou: “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, do better.”
Aida Segura, House of Peace Site Director
What is your favorite thing about leading your organization and/or working with the populations served by your program?
I feel grateful to be part of Catholic Charities, an organization that allows me to work closely with those who are vulnerable and suffering and be a witness of their resilience and their determination to overcome challenges. In the same way, it is gratifying and humbling to encounter these families and support them at a time when they are open to implementing changes to forge a new and healthier life for them and their children.
My favorite thing about serving the women and children, who are mostly poor immigrants surviving the trauma of violence, is learning and appreciating the many lessons of wisdom they share with me from living their lives with courage, faith, and hope. I also appreciate the strong sense of community that they have and the diversity of cultures and languages, along with the richness of delicious food, art, and music that each of our families brings to share with the community of Bienestar Familiar Program (Family Wellness Program).
What is one leadership lesson that you have learned on your journey that you would like to share with girls and women who are earlier in their own leadership journeys?
I certainly feel that this journey of accompanying women and children recovering from violence has been a school of its own, and I have learned so many lessons throughout the years. One of the most important lessons in my experience has been a twofold role: First, as a facilitator of creating a community where women can feel safe and able to rest to support their healing. Secondly, to step aside when the women are creatively responding to problems as a team and to listen to them by allowing them to figure out solutions of their own. I have observed in the Bienestar Familiar Program women stepping up to their community to promote their own healing in a variety of roles: from volunteering as Zumba instructors, offering cooking lessons to promote healthy eating, create a microenterprise that generate jobs, and volunteering as mentors. I have observed women start their own businesses and support other women by providing them with jobs. People respond to their own sense of survival with creativity and can instinctively find ways to empower themselves by forming a community with each other. Being a leader meant to be a facilitator of survivors re-imagining their lives in the context of a supportive community. I have learned that healing from trauma is a process that requires introspective rest as well as proactive action of doing things that bring meaning and power back to our lives.
Dr. Venoncia M. Baté-Ambrus, Executive Director, Healthcare Foundation of Northern Lake County
What is your favorite thing about leading your organization?
My favorite thing about leading my organization is the opportunity to foster growth and change to meet the existing and emerging health needs of the communities in which we fund. Collaboration with grantee partners and other stakeholders is paramount to identifying key social determinants of health affecting our communities and promoting health equity.
What is one leadership lesson that you have learned on your journey that you would like to share with girls and women who are earlier in their own leadership journeys?
One lesson learned is the importance of knowing your own worth and advocating for that worth when necessary. Others may devalue your worth based on your intersectional identities, whether that is gender, race, ethnicity, orientation, age, class, disability, or credentials, but never let that deter you from dreaming big, living into your vision, and achieving your goals. Leaders emerge from all backgrounds. Mentoring plays a vital role in nurturing leaders, so never forget to help others succeed as you endeavor to achieve your own.
Cheers!
Venoncia
P.S. I’d like to congratulate the women on our HFNLC team for their accomplishments and hallmarks.
Congratulations to Angela Baran, Senior Program Officer, who was accepted into the prestigious Tamarack Institute’s Changemaker cohort!
Congratulations to Meredith Polirer, Business Operations Manager, on her promotion!
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