ADVANCE: Montgomery Women's Leadership Digest

August 2023

A Message from Leadership

Summertime in Maryland...how are you enjoying it? Yes, we've had one hot July with a bit of smokiness mixed in. Yet, I find it difficult to complain considering what so many others are experiencing. Floods in Vermont. Heat across the Southwest. 100-degree ocean temps in Florida. Fires across Canada. I feel fortunate to just sweat a bit in Olney!

I hope many of you reading this have had - or are going to take - time "off" for a summer respite, whether staycationing for a few days and limiting your screen time, taking a dream trip somewhere in the world, or simply spending time with family (blood or chosen) to reconnect and recharge. Leadership challenges will always be here for us to experience, yet we are better able to face them when we've taken some "us time" to recalibrate our mindsets.

We in Montgomery Women are doing our summer best individually as well as organizationally. While taking a bit of a hiatus program-wise, we're still making sure to stay in touch with you via this newsletter and occasional announcements. We're still having our First Friday Power Breakfast in person at Mosaic Cuisine in Rockville on August 4th. The Montgomery Women Board will be planning its annual retreat where we set our strategy for this program year. And stay tuned for our program ramp-up as we enter a busy year from September through next summer.

There's still lots to do here in the County the rest of the summer. You can catch me enjoying my annual funnel cake sugar fix at the Montgomery County Ag Fair, watching a visiting friend in concert at the Uke Fest at Strathmore Music Center, dancing in the aisle at the Whitney Houston Retrospective at Olney Theater Outdoors, or riding my motorcycle with friends for a Sunday afternoon ice cream to Hoffman's in Westminster. And all of this is just in August!

Here's to wishing you a fantastic rest-of-the-summer. Keep your eyes out for Montgomery Women announcements. And do something you intended to do back in June that you haven't yet gotten around to do. There's still time! (I'd love to hear what that is.)

Until next time,

Sylvia Henderson

President, Montgomery Women

Member Spotlights

Selena Mendy Singleton

Racial Equity and Social Justice Manager, Montgomery County

Selena is the Racial Equity and Social Justice Manager for the Montgomery County Council. She is a community relations, engagement, and strategic partnership expert, with over 15 years of experience in coalition building and civic engagement. Selena previously served as the first African-American appointed as the Clerk of the Council. In addition, she was a former Congressional staffer for both Congresswoman Donna Edwards and Eleanor Holmes Norton, served as an Executive Vice President of TransAfrica Forum, and was an Environmental Justice Attorney with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights.

Kari Primozic

Certified Coach,

Courageous Living

As a certified professional coach with Courageous Living, Kari uses her skills to provide one-on-one coaching sessions and to facilitate small group workshops that result in actionable goals. Kari is passionate about working with people who are ready to make progress in their life and community and leverages her 25 years of experience to specifically support small businesses and organizations who are ready to have courageous conversations about the hard topics facing their organization or community. Kari previously taught elementary school and had an educational services business.

Quick Tips

For the Everyday Leader

In Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap and Others Don’t, Jim Collins notes that all of the most successful companies he interviewed had what he calls a Level 5 Leader.

A Level 5 Leader “directs their ego away from themselves to the larger goal of leading their company to greatness. These leaders are a complex, paradoxical mix of intense professional will and extreme personal humility.”

When we approach situations from a perspective of humility, it opens us up to possibilities, as we choose open-mindedness and curiosity over protecting our point of view. Humility in leadership is essential because it cultivates trust, promotes teamwork, encourages learning, inspires others, and builds lasting positive influences. Humble leaders create healthier and more effective work environments that benefit both the organization and its members.

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Key Updates

Approved Slate of Board Members

Shortly after the last issue of Advance, Montgomery Women held its annual meeting where members unanimously voted to approve the FY 24 Board of Directors slate, which consisted of 19 returning directors and Caroline McCarthy as a new addition to the board. During the meeting, members also shared well wishes and gratitude for departing board member Jane de Winter (pictured center-right above). View the full list of board members on the Montgomery Women website.

Launch a Future Leader

Since 2008, Montgomery Women members have contributed more than $100,000 to help 81 women complete their education through scholarships and other financial support. This is the first step in helping women launch their careers and advance as leaders, Montgomery Women’s mission.

Join the Montgomery Women Board of Directors* in donating to the Montgomery Women Scholarship and help a woman unlock her potential. (*100% board support)

A gift of any amount makes a difference. Learn more about donating on our website.