Coro E-Connections

Note from the CEO:
Increasing Collaboration

The 2009-2010 program year at Coro has begun in full swing with 16 Fellows and 14 Women in Leadership. A new program, the Des Lee Fellowship, offered through the collaboration of Coro Leadership Center - St. Louis and the United Way of Greater St. Louis, is training 16 college students.

The partnership with The United Way of Greater St. Louis is one of the ways in which Coro is committed to collaborating with community partners to be more responsive to the needs of St. Louis. The combination of Coro’s experiential, community-based approach to training and the expertise of leading non-profits, federations, businesses, and other organizations brings great value to the participants and the community. As Coro continues to build upon its strong foundation of quality training and programs, collaborative partnerships will be a critical component.

Our commitment to collaboration extends to our alumni, volunteers, and all constituents. First, we welcome your feedback, and take it into consideration as we develop plans for the future. Two ways in which we are expanding on this commitment in 2009/2010 are seeking alumni input as part of our market research on new program offerings and inviting evaluation and feedback on our Connected Women events. This fall, we will be adding some new initiatives (a blog and a discussion board) to round out our web, e-mail, LinkedIn, and Facebook presence. Second, we welcome your hands-on participation, and will continue to provide opportunities to volunteer as an interviewee, program selection judge, task force or board committee member. These volunteer opportunities will be promoted in a variety of ways, so if you want to be involved, please respond to one of our invitations, or contact us directly at the office.

Together, we can make our region a more vibrant, engaged, and effective one.

- Dawn Stringfield, President & CEO

WIGO (What is going on)!

Connected Women Event - Women Making a Difference – A Resounding Success:

On September 3, 2009, Coro Leadership Center - St. Louis and the St. Louis Rams co-hosted a very successful Connected Women Series event at the Knight Center at Washington University. The event on women's philanthropy and volunteerism was warmly received by a diverse audience from business, non-profit and government sectors. On hand to kickoff the event were Kay Henry, Associate Dean and Director of EMBA Programs at Washington University; Lucia Rodriguez, Owner/Partner of the St. Louis Rams; and Dawn Stringfield, President and CEO of Coro. Mandy Murphey of Fox 2 moderated the panel discussion with Joyce Aboussie, President of Aboussie and Associates, Adrian Bracy, CEO of the YWCA Metro St. Louis, and Ellen Sherberg, Publisher of the St. Louis Business Journal. Mandy introduced questions inviting conversation about the panel’s background in philanthropy and volunteerism (including inspiring people/events and memories); trends in the St. Louis community, and advice for someone knew to wanting to give back. Mandy also facilitated questions from members of the audience. Over 120 women who attended the event gave their feedback saying how much they appreciated the panel’s honesty, humor, and the creative “takeaway” ideas they offered. Many thanks to those who attended our event!

Connected Women - Save the Date: - November 18, 7:00-9:00, will be the next Connected Women event with our speaker, Chrissy Taylor. More details will follow on the Coro website, LinkedIn, Facebook, and via e-blasts.

Alums in the News and on the Move

Inclusive Leadership Awards honors two Coro community members: Congratulations to Reena Hajat, Excutive Director of The Diversity Awareness Partnership; WIL Class 50; and WILAA Board Member for being one of the 2009 winners of the St. Louis Business Journal’s Inclusive Leadership Awards. Also awarded was Coro Leadership Center – St. Louis Board Member Ed Bryant of Pfizer. Congratulations Ed & Reena! http://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/event/5584

Elizabeth Ashwell:Congratulations to Elizabeth Ashwell (WIL Class 45) who recently accepted a position as an appointee in the Obama Administration for the Department of the Treasury in Washington, DC. Ms. Ashwell is working in the Scheduling & Advance Office for Treasury Secretary Geithner. In her position, she travels both domestically and internationally making preparations for official secretarial trips. Additionally, she works with her colleagues to manage the Secretary’s schedule, including meetings with elected officials, media interviews, and events hosted by the Secretary at the Department of the Treasury. Ms. Ashwell previously worked and volunteered for Coro Leadership-St. Louis.

Lt. Col. Toni Filla:WIL Class 30 alumni, Toni Filla, is now the Commander of the Bureau of Community Policing for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. Not only is Toni the first woman to hold this position, she is now the highest ranking woman ever in the SLMPD. Former Commander of the Bureau of Community Policing Roy Joachimstaler said: “I have known Toni Filla for over thirty years during her time on the Police Department. She has always strived to be the best police officer she could be; not just the best female police officer, but the best police officer. She has continually worked to improve her preparation, knowledge, and skills to include achieving a Masters Degree on her own time. She did this while raising her four children as a single mother. She is a unique individual that has been an inspiration to female officers and also has gained the respect of the male officers because of her hard work and experience on the Police Department. She established history on the SLMPD with her promotions and achievements throughout her career and worked very hard to become a true leader in this region’s law enforcement community.” Congratulations, Toni!

What’s your experience with the Coro methodology? Share the ways in which you use your training and we will include it in an upcoming newsletter or on the Coro website.

Or are you a Coro Alum or know one with a new job? Appointed or elected to a board or committee? New exciting event? Please share your news by contacting Abigail Heinz (Abigail@coro-stl.org) or (636) 827-9804.

Check out our website for a complete list of alumni updates.

Placements

We are currently seeking Group Projects for our new class of Fellows. The Group Project placement is designed to involve Fellows in major and complex issues while providing the St. Louis community talented and committed leaders who can investigate a particular issue and produce results in four weeks. If you have a possibility for a Group Project or if you know someone who might, please contact Abigail as soon as possible. Thanks

Reminder of this year’s calendar of placements:

Upcoming Events

Washington University Executive MBA Program Summer Networking Events

Build Your Business Network: Women’s Networking Event
November 12, 2009
5:30-7:00 p.m.

Build Your Business Network: Diversity Networking Event
November 19, 2009
5:30-7:00 p.m.

Charles F. Knight Executive Education and Conference Center
RSVP to emba@wustl.edu, to 314-935-3622, or at www.olin.wustl.edu/emba

Keeping Up with Coro Programs

Women In Leadership

We are pleased to introduce Women in Leadership Class 53:

WIL Class 53 kicked off on Friday and Saturday September 11-12. The new class is excited to be together and about the Seminars and Field Days to come. The first Field Day will be held in Rock Hill, MO.

Applications are now being accepted for WIL Classes 54 and 55 (Spring 2010 and Fall 2010, respectively). Nominations for WIL are welcomed at any time. To nominate someone, please contact Kari Brownholland at kari@coro-stl.org.

Fellows Program in Public Affairs

The Fellows Program in Public Affairs Class of 2010 began on September 1. This diverse group of Fellows was immediately sent out to begin their Logic Study of the community of Affton. They presented to a group of approximately 30 community members on how Affton is unique. They will create a report to be posted on the web. Click here for bios and photos of the Fellows.

The following agencies will be hosting Coro Fellows beginning on September 14:

Des Lee Fellows

The Des Lee Fellows program began in May with a retreat followed by a full summer of weekly seminars and individual internships with a local organizations. The fall session will include a series of seminars and field days. The spring session will focus on group projects reflecting the Des Lee Fellows' interest areas. The Fellows are shown with Trainer Abigail Heinz, Coro-St. Louis (far right), and Program Coordinator Evan Krauss, United Way of Greater St. Louis (far left).

For complete information about the program, and bios of each of the Des Lee Fellows, go to http://www.desleefellowship.org

Alumni News and Events

Women In Leadership Alumni Association (WILAA)

WILAA hosts a variety of networking, community service and professional development activities throughout the year for members. For more information about upcoming events or to join WILAA, visit the website at: http://wilaa.coro.org

Immediate Needs: Like to plan events? Have great ideas? WILAA Board is always looking for committee member’s to work on the Alumni Relations, Events and By-Laws and Procedures

Coro Alumni Opportunities

We have received a number of requests to offer job opportunities to Coro St. Louis Alumni. If you have a job posting or volunteer opportunity that you would like to make available exclusively to Coro - St. Louis alumni, please contact Abigail Heinz. Look for upcoming postings on our website http://jobs.coro.org.

Coro National Alumni Association (CNAA)

2009 National Alumni Gathering
November 6 - 8, 2009
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Please join the Coro National Alumni Association for a weekend gathering of Coro alumni and friends in wonderful Pittsburgh to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Coro Pittsburgh Center!

Click Here to Register

Support Coro

Volunteer

We are contacting hundreds of organizations this fall; we would appreciate volunteers to help with phone calls. You will be supplied with a script and supporting materials. Contact Abigail Heinz with questions or interest.

Check the website www.coro-stl.org for a complete list of current volunteer needs.

Donate

The Coro Leadership Center – St. Louis would not be possible without donations from our supporters. Please contact Abigail Heinz to make a donation. You can also make a donation online at www.coro-stl.org or mail donations to:

Coro Leadership Center – St. Louis
Attn: Abigail Heinz
1325 N. Highway Drive
Fenton, MO 63099

Staff Directory

Kari Brownholland – Program Manager
Kari@coro-stl.org (636) 827-9805

Abigail Heinz – Community Relations Manager
Abigail@coro-stl.org (636) 827-9804

Andrew McIntire – Communications Associate
Andrew@coro-stl.org

Gerty O’Leary – Director of Training and Programs
Gerty@coro-stl.org (636) 827-9803

Dawn Stringfield – President and CEO
Dawn@coro-stl.org (636) 827-9802

Anne Walker – Administrative Associate
Anne@coro-stl.org (636) 827-9801