Speaker Spotlight: Honorable Margot Wallström

For this week's spotlight we are focusing on a speaker that will share her insight on global leadershipand share with the class her personal leadership journey.

Margot Wallström is currently the First Vice-President of the European Commission, which is the executive branch for the European Union. Before taking up this position she worked for five years as EU Environment Commissioner.

She has had a long career in politics and served as a Member of Swedish Parliament 1979-1985.Her ministerial career began in 1988 when she was appointed as Minister of Civil Affairs to be followed by a position as Minister of Culture and then Minister of Social Affairs. In 1998, she retired from Swedish politics to become Executive Vice-President of Worldview Global Media – an NGO based in Colombo, Sri Lanka. The following year, 1999, she was appointed Member of the European Commission, under President Romano Prodi, and responsible for EU environmental policy. During her mandate she developed the EU strategy and action programme for Sustainable Development with a main focus on human health, chemicals, biodiversity and climate change. She effectively mothered REACH which is a rigorous EU regulation on chemicals.

Wallström was also instrumental in concluding the ratification process of the Kyoto protocol. In 2004, when the Barroso Commission took office, she was appointed first Vice-President responsible for Inter-institutional Relations and Communication. Margot Wallström has received several honorary doctorates and awards for her work on Sustainable Development and Climate Change. She has done extensive work to endorse an EU-Africa partnership on renewable energy, champion equal opportunities and to further the CSR agenda in Europe.

Since 2001 Wallström is the honorary chair of the Business Leaders Initiative on Climate Change (BLICC). In this capacity she has developed an initiative on climate change called Road to Copenhagen together with Mary Robinson and Gro Harlem Brundtland (Club of Madrid).

To find out more about the Leadership America and other speakers, visit http://www.leadershipamerica.com/.

What is Leadership America?

Recently, I have received some tweets ( @next_big_thing) and emails asking WHAT Leadership America is and WHO do we serve. Sometimes messages get muttled with current events and calendar dates that it is good to step back and remember why we are here.

Below are the "Five Ws and one H" of Leadership America:

WHO: Leadership America is one of the longest running national women's leadership programs in the world.

WHAT: Through three stand-alone session a year, we equip women leaders with the latest information and innovation for professional and personal growth and create an atmosphere of high-level immersion with other women leaders.

WHEN: Each class has three stand-alone session per year. The third session in 2009 will be held in Washington, D.C., October 11 - 13, and the addendum Beijing, China trip, October 13-24, 2009. (More information, click here)

WHERE: Three U.S. cities with an addendum international experience each year. Leadership America offices in Dallas, Texas, at The Women's Museum.

WHY: To foster the growth personally and professional of women leaders in the United States and to help bridge the gap of women in leaderships roles. (check out Catalyst study on women in leadership and board activites)

HOW: Leadership America ensures that participants receive valuable information on topics specific to each session. The conversational format allows class members to heavily interact with each speaker while encouraging participancts to asses the way they will apply the new information both professionally and personally.

Other than this blog, you can get more information on the rest of our session in 2009 and apply by visiting http://www.leadershipamerica.com/. You can also become a Fan on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter.

Lead the Way: Anna Sutherland Bissell

It has been said that Anna Sutherland Bissell “studied business the way other women of her time studied French.” Her diligence and interest served her well as one of the nation’s first female CEOs.

Her business experience began after she married Melville R. Bissell at the age of 19. She and her husband owned and managed a crockery and china business in Grand Rapids, Mich. However, she soon became frustrated with the daily difficulty of sweeping sawdust from the carpet floor.

She explained the problem to her husband, who used his mechanical skills to invent a carpet sweeper machine. Word spread quickly about the new invention, and people began to inquire about how they could purchase a carpet sweeper for themselves.

In 1876 the Bissell Carpet Sweeper was patented, and Anna traveled from town to town to sell the miraculous sweepers for $1.50. The Bissell carpet sweeper was immediately successful, and the first manufacturing plant was built in Grand Rapids in 1883. Six years later, Melville Bissell’s death left Anna in charge of the company. She used her business knowledge to launch Bissell into the international market, and by 1899 Bissell was the largest company of its kind in the world.

Anna kept up with the growing industry and prided herself on knowing every facet of her business. She implemented progressive labor policies, including workers’ compensation and pension plans—well before these policies were common in the industry. Anna remained at the helm of Bissell Carpet Sweeper Company until 1931.

Anna was a pioneer in her community as well. She was a charter member of the Ladies Literary Club, a Zonta member, and a board member of the Clark Memorial Home. She was actively involved in Bissell House, which was a recreation and training program for youth and immigrant women.

*Lead the Way's Series is meant to share stories of women leaders from our past and turn their stories into inspiration for the women today. Check out more stories here.

SECOND SESSION: Technology Innovations –Equipping A More Flexible Leader

July 19 – 21, 2009
San Francisco and Silicon Valley, CA

Technology Innovations –Equipping A More Flexible Leader
Apply today!
*25% discount for ALL Leadership America Alumnae.
**Scholarships are available.

Technology breakthroughs continue to create a growing awareness of connectedness at all levels. Nuclear energy, computers, satellite TV, lasers and biotechnology, organ transplants, space exploration, and the internet: all these, and more, have forced us to see the world as a single, albeit complicated, system – one immense set of interrelated pieces.

Connective leaders who know how to bring together all the diverse, interdependent parties, even those who feel they have conflicting agendas, will achieve important goals more effectively in this new environment.

In the “cradle of technology”, Leadership America participants will have opportunity to explore the impact of leading-edge innovations on their particular arenas of professional leadership. The engines of change are pushing leaders simultaneously in different directions, toward both increased interdependence and greater fragmentation born of diversity.

The session will focus on the technology revolution’s demand for new solutions that integrate the economic, political, health, and educational needs of many diverse groups.

TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

Day One, Sunday, July 19, 2009

3:00- 4:00 p.m.
Arrival and Check-In
Omni San Francisco Hotel

4:00 p.m.
Welcome to Leadership America & Program Overview
Wanda Brice, CEO, The Women’s Museum
Martha P. Farmer, Founding Director, 2009 Interim Director

4:30 p.m.
Networking in the Age of Web 2.0
Building Your Personal Brand with New Technology

An Interactive Conversation With… Patricia Romboletti
Leadership California ‘08
President, Sage Connection, Atlanta

5:30
Opening Reception with “Small Table Discussions"
Facilitated by Leadership America & Leadership California Alumnae in the Bay Area

7:00 p.m.
Opening Dinner

Day Two, Monday, July 20, 2009
Omni San Francisco Hotel

7:30 a.m.
Coffee & Croissant

8:00 a.m.
Depart for the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank

8:15 a.m.
Breakfast Briefing at The Fed
Welcome Remarks
Joy K. Hoffmann
Group Vice President/District Public Information & Community Development

Technology Innovations: Powering or Pummeling the Economy?
A Briefing From the Federal Reserve

Daniel J. Wilson, Ph.D.
Senior Economist, Economic Research Division, Federal Reserve

9:30 a.m.
Depart for The Silicon Valley

11:00 a.m.
A Conversation With…
(Speaker to be determined by Hewlett-Packard)

12: 30 p.m.
Break & Lunch
Hosted by Hewlett-Packard

1:30 p.m.
“Technology: Equipping or Inhibiting A More Flexible Leader?”
A Forum Featuring:

• James Beck, CPA & CMA, Managing Director/CFO, The Mayfield Fund
• Dorothy Farris, Vice President, Strategic Sales, Wise Technology
• Rebecca Norlander, Partner Engineering Manager, Microsoft Online Advertising Platform
• Telle Whitney, President & CEO, Anita Borg Institute for Women & Technology Moderator

3:00 p.m.
Break

3:30 p.m.
Leadership America Responds
Roundtable Discussion
What We’ve Heard – What We’ve Learned

4:00 p.m.
Return to San Francisco

6:00 p.m.
Private Reception & Buffet Dinner
“San Francisco from The Top of Russian Hill”

8:30 p.m.
Enjoy San Francisco Nightlife

Day Three, Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Omni San Francisco Hotel

7:30 a.m.
Breakfast Buffet

8:30 a.m.
Closing Presentation
A Conversation With... Sunne Wright McPeak
President & CEO of the California Emerging Technology Fund (CETF) (Pending)

Susan E. Walters, Senior Vice President, CETF (Pending)

9:30 a.m.
Break & Check-Out

10:00 a.m.
Identifying You Connective Leadership Style?
A Connective Leadership Workshop
conducted by Dr. Jean Lipman-Blumen (Confirmed)
Professor of Public Policy, Co-Founding Director, Institute for Advanced Studies in Leadership
Claremont Graduate School, California

11:45 a.m.
Concluding Session
What’s Next – Taking My Leadership America
Experience to My Sphere of Influence
A Conversation Among the Leadership America Participants

Noon
Closing Remarks

Find out more information and how to apply by visiting www.leadershipamerica.com.
*25% discount for ALL Leadership America Alumnae
**Scholarships are available.

Three Questions With... Marny Lifshen

As part of Leadership America's mission to bring new and innovative information to women's leaders, we are starting the Three Questions With Series. Each week we will focus on a topic that is important to be apprised of as a women leader.

This week's debut topic is networking! You are probably thinking two things right now: "UGH, networking!!!" or "What could I possibly need to know about networking, you go, you talk, you drink wine." Well ladies, whether you love it or hate it, networking is an integral part of a leader's responsibilities and Marny Lifshen was kind of enough to give Leadership America time last week to discuss a few tips to networking. Marny is the co-author of Some Assembly Required: A Guide to Networking for Women, a guide that is packed with useful tips, creative techniques and real-world stories that are relevant for women today.

Marny is an Austin-based marketing communication consultant, author and speaker with more than 18 years of experience. Marny specializes in professional services marketing and public relations. She also regularly contributes articles and columns to many print and online publications on networking. Marny is an experienced speaker, and specifically addresses women's organizations and conferences across the country on the topic of networking and building a personal brand.

Below is the video of our inaugural Three Questions With Series.



Thank you w2wlink for inviting me to speak with Marny. If you would like to find out more about Marny Lifshen and Some Assembly Required: A Guide to Networking for Women, visit http://www.marnylifshen.com/.

Please feel free to comment about topics you would like us to discuss and always visit http://www.leadershipamerica.com/ for information on our 2009 Sessions!

Make sure you check back each week for the a new topic.

Highlights from Chicago Session

Below is a small video highlighting the Leadership America Chicago Session in mid-April.

The agenda included a visit to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago, where the group was welcomed by the President, Charles Evans, followed by a presentation by Senior Economist, William Strauss.

Other key presenters included:
Dr. Jean Lipman- Blumen , Professor of Public Policy; Co-Founding Director, Institute for Advanced Studies in Leadership, Claremont Graduate University, gave a keynote address based on her book, Connective Leadership: Managing in a Changing World.

Randall Kroszner, Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business, University of Chicago.

Matt Miller, author of - The Tyranny of Dead Ideas—Letting Go of Old Ways to Unleash a New Prosperity. Mr. Miller is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a contributing editor for Fortune Magazine.

Additional presenters included: Stephanie Neely, City of Chicago Treasurer; Marilyn Gerdes, retired VP of Sara Lee Corporation and Gwen Cohen, Wealth Adviser, Morgan Stanley.

Congratulations to the 2009 Leadership America Chicago Class!

Congratulations to this year's class: Cheryl Aguilar, Rita Casavantes, Kellie Clapper, Sandy Colee, Marquita Davis, Carol Donovan, Patricia Green, Selean Holmes, Sheryl Jackson, Cris Jordan, Sylvia Kidd, Patty Kryscha, Mary Laube-Gale, Kylie McDonald, Beth Rosenthal, Maj. General Mary Saunders, Pamela Smith and Leisha Willis.

These extraordinary women leaders came together in Chicago for a once-in-a-lifetime experience. From having a backstage pass to the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago and hearing a presentation from top employees including the President, to learning all the nuances of the economic climate and the future of our nation, these women connected with each other to learn what is need to stay aware and marketable in this ever-changing economic climate.

Said one classmate, “It renewed my commitment to connective leadership. I acquired a sense of urgency regarding the importance of our involvement at the policy level on women's issues and issues of leadership in business. It expanded my vision in the area of thought leadership. Many thoughts and tools still developing and rising up out of the experience as I continue to digest the experience and decompress.”

Speakers included: ·

• Keynote Speaker- Dr. Jean Lipman- Blumen , Professor of Public Policy; Co-Founding Director, Institute for Advanced Studies in Leadership, Claremont Graduate University, will give a keynote address based on her book, Connective Leadership: Managing in a Changing World.
• Randall Kroszner, Professor of Economics at the Booth School of Business, University of Chicago.
• Matt Miller, author of - The Tyranny of Dead Ideas—Letting Go of Old Ways to Unleash a New Prosperity. Mr. Miller is a Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress and a contributing editor for Fortune Magazine.

Additional presenters included: Stephanie Neely, City of Chicago Treasurer; Marilyn Gerdes, retired VP of Sara Lee Corporation and Gwen Cohen, Wealth Adviser, Morgan Stanley.

Next up... San Francisco/Silicon Valley, July 19 - 21, 2009. Topics will surround "Technology Innovation: Using the latest Innovation to Power Progress."

Visit http://www.leadershipamerica.com/ for more information.