Month: January 2020

Sixth annual class comprised of 60 Scholars including veterans, educators, physicians, public servants, and corporate professionals; program begins on January 28 in Washington, D.C.

January 27, 2020 – Today, the Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program announced the 60 Scholars who will form the program’s sixth annual class. PLS serves as a catalyst for a diverse network of established leaders brought together to collaborate and make a difference in the world as they learn about leadership through the lens of the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson.

The sixth class was selected after a rigorous application and review process. Scholars were selected based on their leadership growth potential and their personal leadership projects aimed at improving civic engagement or social good by addressing a problem or need in their community.

Over the course of six months, Scholars will travel to each participating presidential center to learn from former presidents, key former administration officials, business and civic leaders, and leading academics. They will study and put into practice varying approaches to leadership and exchange ideas to help strengthen their impact in their communities. The program kicks off in Washington, D.C. on January 28.

The latest class joins an active network of 298 Scholars who are applying lessons learned through the program to make a difference in the U.S. and around the world. Examples of these Scholar-led efforts include providing employment and mentorship to veterans, helping adjudicated youth to improve job skills and attain a positive self-image, empowering clinicians to speak with patients about safe storage of firearms, and deploying much needed resources in the wake of natural disasters.

Since the program began in 2015, Scholars have consistently reported remarkable growth in leadership skills, responsibilities, and opportunities for impact. For example, 91 percent of Scholars reported their sense of confidence or purpose as a leader changed since beginning PLS, and 96 percent of Scholars indicated their exposure to and appreciation of a wider variety of perspectives increased since beginning PLS.

2020 Scholars:

• Elizabeth Adams, Senior Manager of Innovation, Entergy, New Orleans, La.;
• Gayatri Agnew, Senior Director, Walmart, Bentonville, Ark.;
• Anand Annamalai, President, House Medicine, Hermosa Beach, Calif.;
• Justin Barra, Director, Education, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Alameda, Calif.;
• Mike Benedosso, Business Development and Partnership Manager for AR/VR, Google, Palo Alto, Calif.;
• Ganesh Betanabhatla, Managing Partner and Chief Investment Officer, Ramas Capital Management, Houston, Texas;
• Rachel Brown, Senior Policy Advisor,  Bureau of Reclamation, Washington, D.C.;
• Karen Caruth, Chief Business Development Officer, Inteleos, McLean, Va.;
• Yoon Choi, Chief Executive Officer, CollegeSpring, San Francisco, Calif.;
• Michael Cooper, Journalist & Attorney, Self-Employed, Raleigh, N.C.;
• Paul Daugherty, President and Chief Executive Officer, Philanthropy West Virginia, Inc., Morgantown, W.V.;
• Sloane Davidson, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Hello Neighbor, Pittsburgh, Pa.;
• Desiree de la Torre, Director, Community Affairs and Population Health Improvement, Children’s National Hospital, Chevy Chase, Md.;
• Mark DeBuse, Emergency Medicine Physician, U.S. Navy, Los Altos, Calif.;
• Maria DeChellis, Vice President, Customer Engagement, Utilligent, Roswell, Ga.;
• Mike Dovilla, President, The Dovilla Group, Berea, Ohio;
• David Duong, Director, Program In Global Primary Care and Social Change, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass.;
• Rebecca Feickert, Co-Founder, Trey Athletes, Irving, Texas;
• Paul Fermo, Associate Vice President, The Cohen Group, Pennington, N.J.;
• Amy Fiedler, Cardiac Surgeon, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, Wis.;
• Jarrod Franks, Judge Advocate, U.S. Navy, Washington D.C.;
• Pellagia Gambiza, Executive Director, Shine on Sierra Leone, Celina, Texas;
• Adam Gilbertson, Vice President, RDO Equipment Co., Laurel, Mont.;
• Hannah Gordon, Chief Administrative Officer and General Counsel, San Francisco 49ers, Santa Clara, Calif.;
• Monica Gorman, Vice President, Responsible Leadership and Global Compliance, New Balance Athletics, Inc., Winchester, Mass.;
• Jodie Grenier, Chief Executive Officer, Foundation for Women Warriors, Carlsbad, Calif.;
• Al Guarnieri, Supervisory Special Agent, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Washington, D.C.;
• Reshma Gupta, Medical Director of Value and Population Care, University of California Health, Sacramento, Calif.;
• HaeSung Han, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, POETIC, Frisco, Texas;
• Jerry Hawkins, Executive Director, Dallas Truth, Racial Healing & Transformation, Dallas, Texas;
• Kristen Herring, Project Officer, Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority, Dumfries, Va.;
• Reda Hicks, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, GotSpot, Inc., Humble, Texas;
• Jin-Ya Huang, Founder, Break Bread, Break Borders, Dallas, Texas;
• Heather Ichord, Human Systems Lead, Defense Engagement Team, Defense Innovation Unit, Boston, Mass.;
• Chris Jones, Executive Director, Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, Little Rock, Ark.;
• Maria Kim, President and Chief Executive Officer, Cara, Chicago, Ill.;
• Priti Krishtel, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director, Initiative for Medicines, Access, & Knowledge, Oakland, Calif.;
• Amy Kroll, Founder and Executive Director, LBJ Women’s Campaign School, LBJ School of Public Affairs, University of Texas at Austin,  San Antonio, Texas;
• Dwayne Leslie, Vice President and Chief Compliance Officer, Adventist HealthCare, Silver Spring, Md.;
• Shareefah Mason, Distinguished Teacher, Dallas Independent School District, Dallas, Texas;
• Adam McGough, Deputy Mayor Pro Tem, City of Dallas, Dallas, Texas;
• Rasheed Meadows, Vice President, TNTP, Jamaica Plain, Mass.;
• Brett Mosher, Pastor of Community Ministries and Executive Director of New Braunfels Christian Ministries, Oakwood Baptist Church, New Braunfels, Texas;
• Josephine Owoeye, Assistant Dean for Student & Professional Development, University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry, Pikeville, Ky.;
• Josh Portzer, Naval Flight Officer, U.S. Navy, Norfolk, Va.;
• Zach Posner, Managing Partner, Innovate.org, Pikesville, Md.;
• Jon-Michael Rosmann, Chief Executive Officer, SafeNetRX, Polk City, Iowa;
• Johanna Rousseaux, Of Counsel, Jones Day, Miami Shores, Fla.;
• Dasheika Ruffin, Southern Regional Director, American Civil Liberties Union, Atlanta, Ga.;
• Tami Silverman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Indiana Youth Institute, Zionsville, Ind.;
• Jimmy Stanton, Senior Associate Athletics Director, Communications, University of Oregon, Eugene, Ore.;
• Kelly Finn Störmer, Chief Operating Officer, National Association of Veteran-Serving Organizations (NAVSO), Newtown, Pa.;
• Boryana Straubel, Executive Director, Straubel Foundation, Woodside, Calif..;
• Raymond Tsai, Executive Medical Officer, The Wonderful Company, Paso Robles, Calif.;
• Uma Vaidyanathan, Research and Innovation Manager, National Institute of Mental Health; Washington, D.C.;
• Sameer Vohra, Founding Chair, Department of Population Science and Policy, Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, Springfield, Ill.;
• Alison Williams, Chief of Staff, Office of the Governor of Arkansas, Little Rock, Ark.;
• Marvin Wilmoth, Managing Principal and Co-Founder, Generation Development Group, North Bay Village, Fla.;
• Dea Wright, Director, Office of Early Childhood Initiatives, City of Milwaukee, Milwaukee, Wis.;
• Catharine Young, Executive Director, SHEPHERD Foundation, Alexandra, Va.

About Presidential Leadership Scholars

Presidential Leadership Scholars is a partnership among the presidential centers of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson. To learn more, visit www.presidentialleadershipscholars.org. For updates about the Presidential Leadership Scholars, use #PLScholars and follow @PLSprogram on Twitter and Instagram.  

Alfia Ilicheva, Co-Founder of WIN: Women in Innovation, talks with fellow Scholar Thear Suzuki, Americas Advisory Talent Leader at Ernst and Young, about her life and experience during the PLS program in 2019.

Alfia Illicheva: Who are you and what do you do?

Thear Suzuki: I inspire courageous actions in others so they can lead more impactful lives.

Growing up, I had a view of myself as someone lesser than others. I had to work hard to build my confidence. Courage is a leadership attribute that I need for myself and want for others.  According to Mark Twain, “courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear – not absence of fear.”  Courage is the willingness to stand on your beliefs and values, move forward despite your inner critic or others disagree, and do the right thing even when it is uncomfortable and difficult to do so. In my personal and professional life, I work to be courageous and inspire others to do the same.

I am passionate about increasing leadership and philanthropic capacity in others to improve lives. At EY, I serve as the Americas Advisory Talent Leader, where I work with a purpose-driven team to create an inclusive environment for our 21,000 professionals to lead authentically and use their strengths to bring out the best in themselves and others. I also enjoy engaging and giving back in the community. It is an honor and privilege to serve on the boards of the Dallas Holocaust Museum, National Boy Scouts of America, Circle Ten Council, SMU Lyle School of Engineering, the National Asian/Pacific Islander Chamber of Commerce & Entrepreneurship as well as Co-Chair of the Texas Women’s Foundation Economic Leadership Council.

I get energy from connecting with people who seek opportunities to help others be successful, in business and in the community.  I live in Plano, Texas with my husband Eric and our four growing boys ages 17, 16, 12, and 9.

AI: What inspired you to apply to PLS?

TS: I see myself as a lifelong learner. I am always looking for ways to become a better leader and how I can best contribute to a world that has given me so much. I learned about PLS through Diana Mao, an alum from the 2015 inaugural class. I was inspired by her compassion for others and impressed by the work of The Nomi Network, a non-profit she co-founded to eradicate modern day slavery.  Diana shared how the PLS experience and connections helped her scale the organization and deepen its impact. After that encounter I researched the program and applied.

AI: What did you learn from the PLS experience?

TS: My PLS experience left me feeling inspired, challenged, and hopeful.

I loved being in the company of people who believe in something bigger than themselves; people who see a need in the world and believe that they can do something about it; people with the courage to take action and work hard to change what’s not working in our community, country and world. These are my fellow scholars and seeing their work has challenged me to press forward with mine.

I learned that the former Presidents and their staff are people who chose careers in public service because they care deeply about making our country better. They want to serve. In the context of my personal leadership project (PLP), this was the most impactful learning, hearing from both political sides and how they worked to find common ground to move forward.

AI: Can you elaborate on your personal leadership project (PLP) and how you were able to leverage the PLS program to advance your initiative?

TS: My PLP is engaging men in the conversation about invisible gender differences and how women and men can work together to solve the gender equity issue. Diverse and inclusive leadership is critical for success and fully leveraging the talents of women is the biggest opportunity in our world today. While significant progress has been made since the ratification of the 19^th amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920, now in the 21^st century the pace of progress in America has slowed.

While most men are supportive of diversity, I believe we need men to actively engage at a much greater degree and tackle gender equity just as aggressively as they do other business issues. In my experience, a large number of men still view gender equity as a women’s issue and therefore not their issue. All leaders (regardless of sex) need to understand that it is a business issue and as leaders, we need to be held accountable for delivering on this important business outcome. Male leaders care deeply about the growth and success of their wives, sisters, daughters, and team members; with greater awareness of unconscious bias and a better understanding about how women and men lead differently, men will not only become stronger allies and advocates, but leaders who will drive change.

I was encouraged when I learned that PLS was intentional about creating a very diverse (visible and invisible) cohort across gender (47 percent female), ethnicity, geography, sector, profession and experience. PLS brought people together who would never have met otherwise. Our class is special because of our diversity. The deliberate steps the PLS staff took to create a highly diverse cohort and design an environment where all scholars feel free and safe to actively and fully engage is exemplary of what we need to see and experience more of in our corporations, governments, military, and hospitals. Though a microcosm, the PLS program helped remind me that with the right leadership decisions and execution, gender balance is possible.

AI: What are the top leadership lessons learned from PLS?

 TS:

• Leadership is not something you do to someone, but it is something that emerges from interactions with others. Leadership is about seeing the other person, truly listening and getting to know their perspective and their story. President Clinton reminded us that you always have to start with someone’s story, as every person has a unique narrative that shapes his or her thinking.

• Just because you believe in something, doesn’t mean others do too. You have to educate and listen to their perspectives, experiences and ideas. You have to remove your own biases. Have dinner with someone different from you; it is important to spend time with those you disagree with. You do not have to find agreement, instead look for shared understanding and common ground to move forward for the good of those you serve.

• Build relationship capital; do things for people before you need their help. To persuade and influence, you have to know the person you are trying to convince; you have to know what is important to them, what they care about, and what position they hold and why. To drive impactful and sustainable change you have to establish credibility and trust.

AI: What advice do you have for other passionate civic-minded leaders committed to making a positive difference in the world?

TS: Have a good understanding of your personal strengths and be clear about what matters to you. Our strengths are not what we are good at, but what gives us energy and brings us joy.

Whatever your passion or cause, get started, avoid comparing yourself to others, and learn as you go. Each of us has gifts and talents that can make a positive difference.

PLS looks for people who want to make the world a better place. If this is you, check out how PLS can help you build on your ideas and projects.