A newsletter for Seattle University ELP, LEMBA and HLEMBA alumni
From the Center for Leadership Formation / summer 2014
By Heidi de Laubenfels (LEMBA ‘09)
John Odhiambo has a question for you.
W
hat do you feel when someone mentions the name
of your hometown? Comfort? Joy? Pride?
Pride is what he’s seeking for the village he grew
up in – the one to which he chose to return after a successful
career in banking that took him to Nairobi and other more
developed, urban locales in Kenya during the decades that
separated his youth from his retirement.
How do you change the world?
One community at a time.
Now Odhiambo occupies his family’s land in Kirindo, a village
in Mbita District, on the eastern shores of Lake Victoria. And he’s
concerned about what he sees.
The fishing that has supported these villagers for generations
is dwindling dramatically. Capricious rainfall makes the land
reluctant to bear sufficient produce for its people. Women are
widowed and children are orphaned by HIV/AIDS, and neighbors
are plagued by malaria, respiratory infections, and other maladies
exacerbated by the contaminated lake water on which every
resident of the area relies for the most basic of needs. Youth enter
working age with few local job prospects. Girls seldom make it
through secondary school, instead marrying young, working the
land, and bearing and caring for children of their own.
A mother waits
with her child to
be weighed and
immunized at
the Community
Outreach
Immunization
Clinic.
Continued on page 4
Contents
Letter from the Associate Director: 2 / Alumni Updates: 3 / New Faculty: 6
From Your Alumni Council: 7 / Celebrating 10 Years of Social Justice Projects: 8
Experience Business Project: 9 / Leadership Impact Day: 10 / Upcoming Events: 12
Letter from the Associate Director
H
ere in the Center for Leadership Formation, we’ve been busy preparing for the
launch of a new academic year, and with it, a great new group of students. This fall,
we’ll welcome our 17th incoming Executive Leadership Program class, our ninth
Leadership EMBA class, and our fourth Health Leadership EMBA class.
We also welcome a new look — Seattle University recently
completed an extensive rebranding campaign, and this issue of
Connections is the first in the new style.
We open this issue of Connections with a great piece by Heidi
de Laubenfels (LEMBA ’09), describing the work of Med25, a nonprofit organization founded by Seattle University undergraduate
alumna and current HLEMBA student Rebecca Okelo (HLEMBA
anticipated ’15) and involving leadership by LEMBA graduate Mari
Anderson (LEMBA ’09). Med25 provides individuals in rural African
communities with quality, culturally appropriate, and affordable
healthcare. The organization is currently working in Kirindo, Kenya.
Several of our pieces in this issue feature ELP social justice
projects. We share some interesting information that we collected
as we culled through the history of 10 years of social justice
projects. One particular social justice project from 2011-2012, The Experience Business
Project, took Upward Bound students on visits to REI headquarters and the Swedish Center
for Research and Innovation, with help from other CLF alumni and students. Additionally,
Henry Garcia, Programs Coordinator, shares a roundup of Leadership Impact Day and the
Social Justice projects from the 2014 ELP graduating class.
The Alumni Council shares news in this issue, including upcoming events and priorities.
The Center collected individual Alumni Updates — primarily professional — and hopes that if
you have news to share with the alumni community, you’ll send it to me at hamrac@seattleu.
edu. We also introduce you to two new faculty members, Robert Spencer and Randy Wise.
In putting together this issue of Connections, I can’t help but be impressed by the reach
and impact of Center for Leadership Formation graduates – in the Puget Sound area and
around the world. Our graduates make waves professionally and in the community, and work
for the good of the commons.
We hope you enjoy this issue of Connections.
Cindy Hamra, JD, MA
Associate Director, Center for Leadership Formation
Center for Leadership Formation Staff
Dr. Marilyn E. Gist,
Associate Dean, Graduate Programs;
Professor, Department of Management;
Executive Director, Center for Leadership Formation
Cindy Hamra, Associate Director
Sommer Harrison, Manager of Graduate Programs
Outreach
Lorri Sheffer, Programs Manager
Henry Garcia, Programs Coordinator
Center for Leadership
Formation Fellows
Phyllis Campbell, Chairman, Pacific
Northwest, JP Morgan Chase
Martin Coles, CEO, HaloSource
Jim Dwyer, President and CEO, Delta Dental
of Washington
Allan Golston, President, US Program,
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Rod Hochman, President & CEO, Providence
Health & Services
Jim Sinegal, Co-Founder & Retired CEO,
Costco Wholesale
Susan Scott, Founder, Fierce, Inc.
Brian Webster, President & CEO,
Physio-Control, Inc.
Center for Leadership Formation
Advisory Board
Lindsay Anderson, Vice President Quality,
Boeing Commercial Airplanes
Sallie Bondy, Director, Sales Operations,
Boeing Commercial Airlines
Pat Callans, Senior Vice President, Human
Resources and Risk Managementt, Costco
Wholesale
Mike Ehl, Director of Aviation Operations,
Port of Seattle
Page 2 / A lbers S chool of B usiness and E conomics I seattle university
Continued on next page
Alumni Updates
With Sadness…
It is with sadness that we inform you that
Tracy Warner (LEMBA ’08) passed on July
25, 2014. Tracy was COO/CFO of Washington Dental Service (now Delta Dental of
Washington) while in the program.
Congratulations are
in order…
Class of 1999
Joe Elling (ELP ’99) is now Director,
Market Research at APA – The Engineered
Wood Association.
Katherine Holzhouser (ELP ’99) is now
AVP, IS Commercialization at Intermountain Healthcare
Ginnie Roeglin (ELP ’99) is now SVP,
Ecommerce, Travel, Publishing at Costco
Wholesale. Ginnie was previously Senior
VP, Ecommerce and Publishing.
Class of 2000
Jeanne Hillman (ELP ’00) is now VP Chief
Accounting Officer at Weyerhaeuser.
Jeanne was previously VP, Financial
Operations.
Rodney Sargent (ELP ’00) is Vice
President, Sales & Marketing at Riverport
Insurance Company (A WR Berkley
Company) as of August 2013.
Class of 2003
Thea Fautenberry (ELP ’03) is now
Benefits Manager at Amazon
Catherine Walker (JD ’80; ELP ’03) of
REI was selected by the Puget Sound
Business Journal as Outstanding Corporate
Counsel for a private company with more
than 10,000 employees in March 2014.
Catherine also serves on the Center for
Leadership Formation business leadership
advisory board.
Have updates to share? Please send them
to Cindy Hamra ([email protected])
Aaron Howes, Vice President, Risk
Management & Insurance, Expeditors
International
David Jackson, HR Director, Online Business
Groups, Microsoft
Harvey Kanter, Chairman of the Board, Chief
Executive Officer and President, Blue Nile
Jim Klauer, SVP, Non-Foods Merchandising,
Costco Wholesale
Paul Lambert, Founder, Forum Solutions, LLC
Butch Leonardson, SVP & CIO, BECU
Doug Moore, President, McKinstry
Catherine Walker, Senior Vice President &
General Counsel, REI
Class of 2004
Kristin Merlo (ELP ’04) has been named
Chief Marketing, Information, and Sales
Officer at Delta Dental of Washington.
Kristin was previously Vice President Sales
and Marketing and CMO.
Jim Klauer (LEMBA ’08) is now SVP
Non-Foods Merchandising at Costco
Wholesale. Jim is also a member of the
CLF business leadership advisory board.
Robert Michael (ELP ’08) is now Senior
CRM Strategist at Cambia Health Solutions.
Class of 2005
Class of 2009
Craig Gowdey (ELP ’05) is now Program
Director, EHR Implementation at Dignity
Health.
Dave Selga (ELP ’05) is now Marine
Operations Advisor at Chevron Shipping
Company LLC.
Jennifer Vradenburg (ELP ’05) is now
Director, Payroll & Timekeeping at The
Boeing Company.
Class of 2006
Michael Civitelli (ELP ’06) is now Managing
Director / CEO at ParkHelp USA. Michael
was previously Director, Sales & Business
Development at ParkHelp.
Jeffrey Thompson (ELP ’06) is now 737
Training Senior Manager at Boeing. He
was previously BCA Foreign Object Debris
Prevention/Tool Control Leader.
Class of 2008
Kip Boyle (ELP ’08) has joined the Board
of Directors for Domestic Abuse Women’s
Network (DAWN). Kip was part of a social
justice team (“Leaders Touching Lives”)
that provided basic life skill coaching and
mentorship to single mothers transitioning
to independent living from domestic
violence shelters.
Scott Drebert (ELP ’08) is now Business
and Planning Analyst at Boeing.
Patrick Callans (LEMBA ’08) was
promoted to Senior Vice President,
Human Resources and Risk Management
at Costco Wholesale in September 2013.
Pat is also a member of the CLF business
leadership advisory board.
Dan Wall, Senior Vice President, Ocean
Services, Expeditors International
Center for Leadership Formation
Health Leadership Advisory Board
Scott Armstrong, President and CEO,
Group Health Cooperative
Scott Bond, President & CEO,
Washington State Hospital Association
Mike Butler, President of Operations &
Services,
Providence Health and Services
Gregg Davidson, CEO, Skagit Regional Health
Dan Dixon, Senior Executive and VP of Public
Affairs, Providence Health & Services
Stephanie Bowman (LEMBA ’09) was
elected Commissioner for the Port of
Seattle, effective April 2013.
Julia Collins (LEMBA ’09) is now Director
of Production at the Fifth Avenue Theatre.
She was previously Production Manager.
Julia is also Vice President of the Alumni
Council.
Russ Decaire (ELP ’09) is now Vice
President, General Merchandise Manager,
Northwest Food & Sundries at Costco
Wholesale. Russ was previously Assistant
General Merchandise Manager, Corporate
Food & Sundries
Heidi de Laubenfels (LEMBA ’09) was
named Vice President, Communications
& External Relations at McKinstry in
May 2014. Heidi was previously Director,
Communications & External Relations.
Michael Foote (ELP ’09) is now Senior
Functional Analyst – EIT Supply
Chain at T-Mobile. Michael
was previously a
Business Systems
Analyst.
Continued on
page 7
Brad Harlow, CEO & President, PhysioSonics
Steven Huebner, Owner, Huebner Advisory, LLC
Jason McGill, Executive Policy Advisor for
Health Care, Washington State Governor’s
Executive Policy Office
Mary McWilliams, former Executive Director,
Washington Health Alliance
John Milne, Founder & CEO, Avnew Health
Sarah Patterson, Executive Vice President &
Chief Operating Officer, Virginia Mason
Medical Center
Chris Rivera, President & CEO, Washington
Biotechnology and Biomedical Association
summer 2 0 1 4 I seattleu . edu / albers / e x ecutiveeducatio n / page 3
How do you change the world?
(Continued from page 1)
“Unreliability in the rainfall pattern
over the years has created serious food
shortages, coupled with dwindling fish
from the lake,” Odhiambo said. “These
challenges have created serious unemployment, especially for the youth.”
Mbita District has the highest HIV
prevalence in Kenya. Twenty-seven
percent of Mbita’s 118,000 people are
infected, compared with a national
average of 6.7 percent. The average
life expectancy for men in Kenya is
54. Women are expected to reach 55
years old. By comparison, men living in
Mbita have a life expectancy of just 37,
and women 41.
More than 56 percent of Kenyans
live below the poverty line. The
average resident of Mbita earns only
$0.62 per day.
But recent developments have
inspired Odhiambo and others in
the district. MED25, an international
nonprofit organization that has
provided health care to this community
since 2010, recently constructed and
launched a new mortuary and larger
health-services facility that is more
accessible and has greater capacity
than their previously rented space.
Seattle University DNA
Of particular interest to the
Seattle University community will be
the numerous ways that SU is woven
into this endeavor.
MED25’s founder and executive
director, Rebecca Okelo, is a 2007
graduate of SU’s College of Nursing
and is halfway through the Albers
School’s Health Leadership Executive
More than 56 percent of Kenyans live below
the poverty line. The average resident of Mbita
earns only $0.62 per day.
Young patient
waiting to receive
toothbrush and
toothpaste at
Outreach Day.
MBA program. She has been recognized as an outstanding student by
SU faculty. According to Okelo, the
most memorable and humbling award
received from SU was the 2009 Young
Alumni of the Year Award. She received the honor at a time when she
felt that her global development efforts
were still in an infancy compared with
that of other alumni. Okelo is thankful
for SU’s continued support. She divides
her time between Seattle and Kenya.
Mari Anderson, MED25’s
country director in Mbita for the
past two years, graduated from SU’s
Leadership Executive MBA program
in 2010. Heidi de Laubenfels, this
story’s author, is a 2009 LEMBA grad
and served for three years as vice
president of the Center for Leadership
Formation’s alumni council. Anita
Jablonski, SU College of Nursing
professor, has been a MED25 board
member since its inception in 2006.
And several SU students and alum
have travelled to Kenya to work as
volunteers for MED25.
All have taken inspiration from SU’s
dedication to educating the whole
person, to professional formation, and
to empowering leaders for a just and
humane world.
In that spirit, MED25’s primary
goal is to provide health care.
Specifically, its mission calls for access
to care that is affordable, high-quality,
and culturally appropriate. And it is
supplying that in abundance. In fact,
MED25 was honored as the overall
best-performing health-care facility
for immunizations in Mbita District in
2011, 2012, and 2013. This recognition,
given by the government, is a strong
indicator of the high quality of the
clinic’s staff and services.
Interestingly, though, in pursuing
this mission, MED25 is providing much
more.
Jobs — and construction training
that will serve them for years — for
locals who are building the new
facilities. The economic boost that
will accompany work in and around
the mortuary and the expanded clinic.
Clean water from the new community
well that MED25 funded and drilled
for its operations. Electricity brought
in with a transformer and power
poles, also enabled by the MED25
organization, in partnership with Kenya
Power & Lighting. Income-generating
activities are being explored, including
agriculture, transportation, and
business support to aid locals both
socially and economically.
And perhaps most important:
Hope and inspiration that this lakeside
community can be something more,
something to be proud of. Perhaps
Continued on next page
Page 4 / A lbers S chool of B usiness and E conomics I seattle university
this quiet fishing village can be a
regional beacon of health, vitality, and
commerce.
Galvanizing a community
MED25 is a noteworthy example
of how the efforts of a few can create
collective action that can change a
community’s trajectory.
Its Kenyan incarnation less than
five years old, MED25 has already
established itself as the highest
quality, most effective and desirable
source of health care in the region.
Opened in April of 2010, the
clinic has treated more than 45,000
patients with low- or no-cost health
services including treatments for
malaria, respiratory infections,
dysentery, sexually transmitted
diseases, skin diseases, and prenatal
services for pregnant mothers. The
clinic is a Comprehensive Care Center
for HIV/AIDS, providing testing,
counseling, and treatment.
It achieved this success by hiring
committed Kenyan experts, working
with the Ministry of Health and other
governmental and non-governmental
organizations, and by engaging local
leaders from the start to ensure that
the community shares a sense of
responsibility and stewardship for the
clinic’s efforts, Okelo points out.
“Within the few years MED25
has been operating, the community
has seen significant changes in
the provision of quality, available
and affordable medical services,”
Odhiambo said. “Although the current
facility is a few kilometers from Kirindo
Village, it has also positively impacted
the village in terms of employment
— security personnel and community
health workers, just to mention a few.”
Anderson noted that while many
theories of change exist in the field
of global health, this organization has
chosen a particularly local plan.
“The MED25 approach is to focus
in-depth on one community’s issues —
socially, culturally, and economically
— and enable significant positive
impact on those critical issues defined
A patient
receives care
in the new
clinic.
by the community to be the priority,”
Anderson said. “The focus is on
creating solutions together that are
impactful, can be sustained locally, and
fit the communicated needs ‘on the
ground.’ “
Soti Godfrey, MED25’s program
manager, chose this post in rural
western Kenya over options in bustling
Nairobi, which by comparison is rich
in resources. His reason? The clinic’s
genuine commitment to long-term
sustainability, health, and prosperity
for the community.
“Working with MED25 — in
whatever capacity — makes me feel
whole,” Godfrey said. “I can say
that, despites the challenges I meet
working as a program manager with
MED25, that wholeness of a human
being is something I mostly find at
work, not elsewhere. It’s because of
the positive impact I see, and more
when people come and tell me how we
are impacting positively in the entire
Mbita community and beyond, which
happens a lot.”
Godfrey points to numerous
examples of this impact, from more
women engaging in family planning to
dramatic increases in vaccinations for
children.
“Most important to me is the
fact that we have managed to make
people believe that quality healthcare
is accessible,” Godfrey said. “We
handle patients with utmost care,
charge them at a subsidized cost,
charge no consultation fee and ensure
patients are handled with qualified
personnel. This has made people
develop a health-seeking attitude that
existed minimally before we became
operational in Mbita.”
All of these efforts have spurred
village leaders — including Odhiambo
— to pull together and form a
Community-Based Organization , or
CBO, which is an entity recognized
and supported by Kenya’s government.
CBOs are meant primarily to engage
the local residents to build local
capacity to implement the United
Nations’ Millennium Development
Goals, which range from halving
extreme poverty rates to halting the
spread of HIV/AIDS, and providing
universal primary education.
“One of the objectives of our
CBO is to facilitate the improvement
of the area of Kirindo for the benefit of
the residents, and one area is provision
of health care,” Odhiambo said. “Our
relationship with MED25 could not
have come at a better time. I believe
these two projects will bring both
direct and indirect benefits.”
A culture of health
and prosperity
MED25’s strategy centers on
building social businesses from which
income-generating activities make its
health-care services self-sustaining and therefore long-lasting.
summer 2 0 1 4 I seattleu . edu / albers / e x ecutiveeducatio n / page 5
Continued on page 6
New Faculty
Randy Wise
Robert Spencer
Randy Wise has joined Seattle University’s Center
for Leadership Formation where he will teach Health
Services Marketing.
Randy was most recently vice president of Marketing
for Group Health Cooperative, one of the nation’s
largest consumer-governed health care systems. Wise
oversaw all marketing including brand management,
product marketing, customer experience management, marketing communications and promotions, and
market research and marketing analytics.
Before joining Group Health in August 2010, Wise
served as vice president of Online Experience
at Safeco Insurance, where he led the company’s
transformation into a digitally enabled, multichannel insurance provider. Prior to that, he worked
at Microsoft for seven years, creating a global
relationship marketing function and capabilities,
and in partnership with worldwide business
groups, leading the development of core audience
relationship programs to improve customer
engagement. He also led marketing functions at
two online ventures, MyPoints.com and Careguide.
com, and honed his marketing skills during a 10-year
career at American Express.
Wise holds bachelor’s degrees in economics and
mechanical engineering from the University of
Pennsylvania, and earned his MBA from the Stern
School of Business at New York University. He lives in
Seattle with his wife and two children.
Robert Spencer has joined Seattle University’s
Center for Leadership Formation where he will teach
Integrating Leadership & Business Practice with
Steve Brilling.
Robert currently teaches Management of Change and
Business Consulting courses at Albers, and has been
architecting major change programs for 35 years. He
has been with Seattle University since he retired as
a partner in Accenture’s Organization Effectiveness
practice five years ago. While at Accenture he led
various transformation programs and also managed
their Leadership community of practice.
In addition to teaching and guest lectures Robert
remains professionally active, currently consulting
[part-time] with Ernst and Young Advisory clients in
their Power & Utilities practice. He is also working
on a book project, Change Made Simple, and writes
a couple of articles a year on various change topics.
Robert’s research interests are currently on the
neuroscience of change, recently co-authoring papers
on “The Neuroscience of Resistance” and “Tone at the
Top” that chronicled a senior leader teams successful
organizational-wide alignment program.
He has bachelor and master degrees from Portland
State University, and several change management
certifications.
How do you change the world?
(Continued from page 5)
“By building income-generating
activities to sustain the clinic and
our community outreach services,
we are creating solutions within the
community instead of continuing
to look for outside resources to
support the longevity of the project,”
Anderson said.
The mortuary is a prime example.
One month after opening in
February, the MED25 mortuary
was able to sustain itself financially,
five months ahead of schedule. The
community celebrated the opening
with a ribbon-cutting ceremony
attended by numerous Homa Bay
County officials, local chiefs and
elders, and more than 600 community
members. Community members
danced, sang, chanted and cheered
throughout the day.
“The idea of launching a mortuary
service was among the best news for
the community, and Mbita in general.”
Odhiambo said. “The nearest facility is
about 40 kilometers away, and it costs
$120 to $300 to transport bodies to
their places of burial, depending on
where the person died. Given the economic status of a majority of residents,
this creates a significant financial burden upon community members.”
So, what does it take to spur a
sense of pride in your hometown?
Maybe it’s a burst of development
that makes the place more fun and
more beautiful. Maybe it’s a village
of loving, hardworking people who
embrace change. Maybe it’s a beautiful
lake. Or maybe it’s a mortuary.
Whatever it is, you’re lucky to have
it. John Odhiambo couldn’t agree
more.
Learn more about Med25 at
www.med25.org
Heidi de Laubenfels (LEMBA ‘09) is a former
journalist now Vice President, Communications
& External Relations at McKinstry in Seattle,
Wash. She traveled for a week in the Mbita area
in September 2013, and had the remarkable
opportunity to spend time with MED25 staff and
also numerous members of the community. She is
grateful to Seattle University for many wonderful
things, including serving as the catalyst that
led to her connection with Mari Anderson and
Rebecca Okelo.
Page 6 / A lbers S chool of B usiness and E conomics I seattle university
Alumni Updates
From Your Alumni Council
Judy Pickar on behalf of the Alumni Council
T
he Center for Leadership Formation (CLF) Alumni Council, working on
behalf of ELP, LEMBA and HLEMBA alumni, hosts several events each year.
These events are designed for alumni to keep abreast of current research,
engage with CLF colleagues and remember the powerful and binding experience
we share.
Seattle University’s executive education programs and alumni are growing.
Accordingly, the Alumni Council has restructured to engage alumni talent with
a wide range of opportunities to connect. Given the limited time available in our
lives, the new, flexible structure will allow more people to reengage without too
much time commitment. We have designated committees to focus on events,
faculty salons, social justice activities and continuous learning.
Faculty salons are a favorite alumni event. Celebrated Seattle University
faculty select a relevant subject and discuss in an intimate setting with alumni.
These events are a wonderful time to reconnect with classmates, meet new alumni,
and become well-versed in a current topic. The discussions are lively and many
attendees come away recharged and recommitted to making an impact in the world.
The Social Justice committee will continue existing social justice
projects and/or integrate several projects into a more effective cohesive project.
In addition, the committee will explore ways to volunteer in the community as
a collective alumni group. An example of this is the annual volunteer event at
Seattle Tilth’s Farmworks. The day has included planting, weeding, clearing areas
of debris, and educational opportunities such as learning about bee keeping.
Having participated in this event with my teenage daughter and fellow alumni, I can
recommend the experience. Once again, the common thread is creating awareness,
contributing to the community and alumni fellowship; often, all equally valued.
The Continuous Learning committee will weave the connection
between current classes and alumni by launching a book club and other professional development events for alumni.
The overarching benefit of creating committees is for all alumni to have an
opportunity to engage in an area of interest not otherwise possible and be
empowered to make an impact. Drawing on a greater community mindtrust and
creating smaller groups of passionate individuals, we expect to collaborate and
drive two-to-three annual initiatives. We are confident that this restructure will
make us more effective, creative and nimble.
We are planning several events for the fall including a fall Faculty Salon at
SU, an alumni homecoming event, our annual holiday party, and a book club. See
the Upcoming Events section at the back of this issue of Connections for more
information.
We invite you to become active in the Council and alumni activities in whatever
way works best for you. Visit our (evolving) website at www.seattleu.edu/albers/
executive/clf/alumni/. Contact Cindy Hamra ([email protected]) if you’d like
to get involved.
Your Alumni Council:
President ~ Cindy Snyder, LEMBA 2013
Vice President ~ Julia Collins, LEMBA 2009
Secretary ~ Ken Peasley, ELP 2005
Communications ~ Judy Pickar, LEMBA 2009
Associate Director CLF Liaison ~ Cindy Hamra
(Continued from page 3)
Ashley Moser (LEMBA ’09) is now
Regional Manager at Teva
Pharmaceuticals.
Natalie Robbecke (ELP ’09) is now
Strategy & Integration Human Resource
Director at Boeing Commercial
Airplanes. Natalie was previously HR
Director – Fabrication Division.
Class of 2010
Harris Clarke (LEMBA ’10) is now Vice
President, Sales and Service, at PEMCO.
Katie Enarson (LEMBA ’10) is now
Product Manager, Branded Solutions at
Starbucks Coffee Company. Katie was
previously Marketing Manager, Food
Service.
Mary Kay McFadden (LEMBA ’10) is
now Vice President of Development,
Family and Alumni Relations at Franklin
W. Olin College of Engineering in
Needham, MA.
Jim Nelson (LEMBA ’10) is now AGMM
International Division for Costco
Wholesale.
Kim Smith (LEMBA ’10) is now VP
Attack Helicopter Programs at Boeing
Military Aircraft, The Boeing Company.
Class of 2011
Zahra Dedhar (LEMBA ’11) is now
Controller at Aviall, A Boeing Company.
Tina Hagedorn (LEMBA ’11) is now Vice
President at Wesley Rickard, Inc.
Ed Hiar (LEMBA ’11) is now Director,
Software Engineering at Blue Nile.
Kevin Mizuta (ELP ’11) is now Associate
Director – ITS at the Transport Group.
Kevin was previously Toll Division
Business Manager at the Washington
State Department of Transportation.
Michael Mooney (LEMBA ’11) is Branch
Manager, Detroit, for Expeditors
International of Washington as of May
2014. Michael was previously Director,
Risk Management & Insurance – The
Americas at Expeditors.
Brannely Turpen (ELP ’11) is now Senior
Project Manager at CBRE.
Class of 2012
Jennifer Creighton (LEMBA ’12) is now
Senior Project Manager at Venture
Construction Services LLC.
William Sechter (LEMBA ’12) has cofounded Theo Partner Investments as of
October 2013.
Class of 2013
Adam Nelson (LEMBA ’13) is now
Executive Director at Ogden Murphy
Wallace P.L.L.C.
Cindy Snyder (LEMBA ’13) is now
Director, Innovative Services at Delta
Continued on page 9
summer 2 0 1 4 I seattleu . edu / albers / e x ecutiveeducatio n / page 7
Celebrating 10 Years of
Social Justice Projects
W
e hope you saw our Winter
2014 issue of Connections,
where we focused on the
history of the ELP, LEMBA and
HLEMBA programs, and asked you to
respond to our survey collecting data
on social justice projects over the
years. We’re excited to report back
with what we’ve learned.
The Executive Leadership Program
was designed to be an executive
education program that would enhance
participants’ spiritual self- and otherawareness, to positively affect their
capacity for authentic and meaningful
corporate responsibility. The program
launched in 1998 under the leadership
of Marianne LaBarre, with the first
class graduating in 1999.
In early years of ELP, students
worked in teams on consulting-style
service projects with local organizations. In 2003, Marianne LaBarre
returned to the School of Theology
and Ministry and Dr. Marilyn Gist
joined the Executive Leadership
Program as Executive Director. Marilyn
increased emphasis on social justice in
the program, working with the ELP
faculty to introduce a social justice
Partner community organizations (not inclusive): Seattle Children’s Theater,
Washington CASH, the King County Department of Public Health, Pierce
County Crime Stoppers, ROOTS Young Adult Shelter, DAWN (Domestic
Abuse Women’s Network), Upward Bound, Banchero Disability Partners,
Jewish Family Services, Seattle Rotary, The Mockingbird Society, Boys & Girls
Clubs, Atlantic Street Center, YouthCare, TreeHouse
Successes/awards
• Leaders Touching Lives received the “Take Action Award” from King
County Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2009)
• Two groups involved in Foster Care to 21 legislation in Washington state
We asked: “Since ELP graduation,
have you become involved in a
community activity or organization
related to the commons (global,
health or social justice).
81% of ELP graduates
have remained engaged in
community ventures:
59.5% Volunteer Service
33.3% Leadership Role
36.9% Board Service
16.7% Generative (e.g., started
my own non-profit
organization, etc.)
Projects that
continue today
• Authentic-I
• Omilero
• ClimbOn
• Operation Sack Lunch
• Experience Business Project
• Youth Ambassadors
for Compassion
Areas of focus
The most common domain in
which students have focused
their social justice projects is:
• 21.4% education of socio economically disadvantaged
• 16.3% focus on the elderly
• 12.2% focus on youth
project that has remained a standard of
the curriculum.
Today, social justice projects are an
experiential learning assignment that
addresses a specific program learning
outcome: in business and in personal
lives, students will act to preserve or
enhance the well-being of the commons
(global, health, and social justice).
The scope of this undertaking
has been impressive: in 10 years,
310 students have delivered 62 social
justice projects. Of those projects,
54 partnered with community
organizations.
We asked: “Did you stay
engaged with your social
justice project after ELP
ended, and if so, for how
long?”
Over 70% of social justice
projects initiated in the last
10 years have continued
after ELP ended.
22.6% continued for up to 6
months after ELP ended
20.2% continued for up to 1
year after ELP ended
8.3% continued for up to
2 years after ELP ended
17.9% continued for over
2 years after ELP ended
We asked: “Has there been any
lasting value to you from having
participated in your SJ project
while in ELP?”
“I’ve been changed. I view
the world differently and
understand better how my
actions reverberate across the
web of the commons.”
– Jim Loder (ELP ‘09):
Page 8 / A lbers S chool of B usiness and E conomics I seattle university
Experience Business Project
visits to REI and Swedish Center
for Research and Innovation
Alumni Updates
(Continued from page 7)
Dental of Washington. Cindy was
previously Director of Professional
Services at DDWA. Cindy is also President
of the Alumni Council.
Kamil Turczanski (LEMBA ’13) is now
Business Office Manager at Aegis
Living. Kamil was previously Front Office
Manager at the Washington Athletic Club.
Terry Williams (ELP ’13) was promoted
to AVP, Information Systems for Costco
Wholesale in May 2013.
Class of 2014
Jerry Stritzke, CEO of REI, talks with students from Upward Bound
I
n the winter issue of Connections, we told you about the Experience Business
Project (EBP), the social justice project of Cat Kawa, Andrea King, Stephen
Sparrow and Terry Williams during their 2011-2012 Executive Leadership
Program. The EBP provides business immersion experiences for Seattle high
school students participating in Upward Bound and other similar programs. These
immersions expose students to local entrepreneurs, mid-size businesses, and large
corporations so they can learn about different career paths and options, and how
to prepare for them.
Since its launch in fall 2012, EBP has led business immersion visits to the
Benaroya Research Institute at Virginia Mason, Molly Moon’s Homemade Ice
Cream, Microsoft, Digipen and Starbucks. The Center for Leadership Formation
has supported the EBP, because it is a framework for ELP alumni to stay engaged
with fellow alumni, the Center, and the focus of promoting social justice.
April 2014 visit to REI
On April 17, REI hosted a group of students, who visited their headquarters in
Kent, WA. CLF alumnus Mark Seidl (LEMBA ’13), Director of Retail Operations
at REI and current student Michelle Clements (LEMBA anticipated ’15), Senior
Vice President, Human Resources at REI, helped arrange the visit. REI CEO Jerry
Stritzke joined Michelle in welcoming the students, and sharing their own career
paths. REI employees then took students through a fantastic set of activities
including a campus tour, tent building activity, and talking with various REI
employees about their career paths and personal journeys.
July 2014 visit to Swedish Center for Research and Innovation
On July 24, students visited Swedish Hospital and the Ben and Catherine Ivy
Center for Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment, where they met with the Administrative
Director and several Research Coordinators from the Swedish Center for Research and
Innovation. The visit was arranged by Andrea King (ELP ’12), who is Director of Planned
Giving at the Swedish Medical Center Foundation. The students then got a tour of the
Ivy Center, including the opportunity to look at several pieces of equipment and tissue
samples used in brain tumor research and treatment.
The Experience Business Project and the Center for Leadership Formation
thank REI and the Swedish Center for Research and Innovation for hosting these
visits!
Can your organization host a business immersion?
If you can spare a few hours to host a business immersion visit for students at
your company, please contact Cindy Hamra for information: [email protected]
or 206-296-5374.
Mark Eaton (LEMBA ’14) received the
Provost’s Academic Award for the top
academic performance among SU
graduate students at Commencement in
June. Mark is a Business Operations
Manager at McKinistry.
Stephanie Gard (LEMBA ‘14) is now
Affinity Partnerships Director at BECU.
Stephanie was previously a Senior Project
Manager.
James Faulknor (LEMBA ’14) won second
place in the Harriet Stephenson Business
Plan Competition with his Capstone
project setting up Skywise, LLC.
Dr. Dean Field (HLEMBA ’14) was named
Vice President of Informatics and
Operations at Franciscan System Services
in June 2014.
Dan Heffernan (LEMBA ’14) is Director of
Business Operations for Material Services
at Boeing Commercial Airplanes as of
June 2014. He was previously Director of
Business Operations.
Class of 2015
Dr. Jeffrey Grice (HLEMBA ’15) is now
Medical Director for Clinical Excellence
and Integration for Group Health
Physicians. These responsibilities are in
addition to his oversight of Human
Resources and Compliance.
Jon Sainsbury (LEMBA ’15) was named
President, International of Blue Nile in
March. Jon was previously Vice President
and Head of Strategy.
Faculty
Dr. Greg Magnan was awarded the 2014
Alumni Award for Distinguished Teaching
in April.
Dr. Marc Cohen’s paper, “Transcendence
and Salvation in Levinas’s Time and the
Other and Totality and Infinity,” has been
accepted for publication in Levinas Studies.
Dr. Vinay Datar’s article, “The Value of
Mutual Fund Fees: A Model,” co-authored
with Richard Borgman (U. of Maine), has
been accepted for publication in Financial
Decisions.
Have updates to share? Please send them
to Cindy Hamra ([email protected])
summer 2 0 1 4 I seattleu . edu / albers / e x ecutiveeducatio n / page 9
Leadership Impact Day 2014
ELP Social Justice Projects
By Henry Garcia, Programs Coordinator
O
n Friday, March 7, students in the Executive Leadership Program (ELP) participated in the annual Center for Leadership
Formation (CLF) Leadership Impact Day. For students in the ELP, a major part of the program is a practicum involving a
significant community service project.
The project has three objectives:
• To serve as a learning laboratory,
in which, removed from one’s
typical environment, one has the
opportunity to contribute executivelevel skills while experiencing the
effects of his/her skills in leadership
and teamwork.
• To make a significant and sustainable
contribution to our community.
• To learn about and serve a different
“client” in order to clarify the
role one may wish to play in the
community beyond the program.
Each year, members of the Seattle
University community and leaders
from a variety of Seattle organizations
come together for an opportunity to
learn about the sustainable impact
our ELP students are having in
communities facing a social injustice.
Leadership Impact Day gives our
community and organizational
sponsors the opportunity to share in
the success and impact of the ELP,
while building a community around the
student’s collective work in leadership
and social justice. The following is a
brief synopsis of the work presented
by each team this past winter:
Benefit Exchange Extenders (BEEs)
Orla Concannon, Erin Kittleman,
Edward Lim, Rosanne Peters,
Anthony Rossano
The Benefit Exchange Extenders’
mission is to help the homeless
residents of King County secure
access to health care insurance
coverage. Together with King County
community and civic stakeholders,
the BEEs are eliminating enrollment
barriers in conjunction with the
Affordable Care Act.
Access to Career &
Educational Awareness
Ponni AnandaKumar, Mike Anderson,
Joseph Bengtson, Rachael Steward,
Madeleine Veigel
This program brings interactive
workshops to disadvantaged teens
at the Spruce Street Half-way House
that feature working professionals
discussing their careers and the
paths they took to get there. The
project gives these teens exposure
to living-wage careers and access
to educational counselors who
help illuminate the road ahead.
F.A.C.E. – Financial Awareness
Coalition for Empowerment
Annette Alvarez-Peters, Rana Amini,
Varun Chauhan, Michelle Clements,
Jon Sainsbury
Project FACE’s mission is to educate
the elderly and their families to
better access resources to avoid
and/or effectively prevent financial
exploitation and abuse.
Team “Hack the Pipeline”
Brendan Brecht, Lara Mae Chollette,
Jolene Cook, Hilary Engelhardt,
Jeffrey Grice
A program designed for young men in
school at the King County Juvenile
Detention Center aiming to impart the
ability to code skillfully, also known as
“hacking,” by teaching them employContinued on next page
Left: Audrey
Schena of
Team C.A.R.E.
Right: Brendan
Brecht, Hilary
Engelhardt, Lara
Mae Chollette,
Jeffrey Grice
and Jolene Cook
Page 8 / A lbers S chool of B usiness and E conomics I seattle university
able and marketable programming skills. The team also aims to
hack into and disrupt the school-to-prison-pipeline by engaging
these youth.
C.A.R.E. - Considering All and Respecting Each Other
Indrasis Mondal, Rebecca Conte Okelo, Audrey Schena,
Tony Unan
An interactive and practical anti-bullying program which is
delivered within the classroom, and is intended to reduce the
negative effects and incidence of bullying by providing both
the bullied child and those children who witness bullying the
necessary skills to respond to bullying behavior.
The EMERALD LADDER
Ahmbur Blue, Kevin Caserta, Anna Gordon, Derek
Robbecke, Marty Sparks
An interactive program providing underprivileged high
school students at Chief Sealth knowledge of professional
careers. With an emphasis on education, engagement, and the
environment, the Emerald Ladder brings industry professionals
to students and the students into the professional world.
Top left: Kevin
Caserta, Ahmbur Blue,
Anna Gordon, Derek
Robbecke and Marty
Sparks
Top right: Joseph
Bengston, Rachael
Steward, Ponni
AnandaKumar,
Madeleine Veigel and
Mike Anderson
Right: Indy Mondal of
Team C.A.R.E.
Below left:
Michelle Clements,
Varun Chauhan,
Annette AlvarezPeters, Jon Sainsbury
and Rana Amini
Below right: Edward
Lim, Rosanne Peters,
Anthony Rossano,
Orla Concannon and
Erin Kittleman
Leadership Impact
Day gives our
community and
organizational
sponsors the
opportunity to share
in the success and
impact of the ELP.
summer 2 0 1 4 I seattleu . edu / albers / e x ecutiveeducatio n / page 9
Non-Profit Org.
U.S. Postage
PAID
Seattle, WA
Permit No. 2783
Center for Leadership Formation
901 12th Avenue
P.O. Box 222000
Seattle, WA 98122-1090
RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED
Upcoming Events
ALBERS school of business
and economics
EXECUTIVE SPEAKER SERIES
(Free and open to the public)
Time: 5:30 to 6:30 PM
Location: Pigott Auditorium
Tuesday, October 21
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Stein Kruse
CEO, Holland Group America
Thursday, November 13
5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Panel Discussion on Empowering
Employees featuring:
Major General Stephen Lanza
Base Commander at JBLM
Melanie Dressel
President & CEO of Columbia Bank
Jim Sinegal
Co-founder & former CEO of Costco
Wholesale
Moderated by Dr. Marilyn Gist
Dinner with Faculty
featuring Dr. David Shoultz
Wednesday, September 17
6:00 – 9:00 p.m.
RSVP at the alumni site
Annual Volunteer Event at
Seattle Tilth Farmworks
Saturday, September 27
10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
RSVP at the alumni site
alumni council
book club meeting
October 2014 (date TBD)
center for leadership
formation homecoming event
Friday, November 22
Noon – 6:30 p.m.
Seattle University Campus –
more information forthcoming
center for leadership
annual holiday party
December 2014 (date TBD)
connect with us!
For more information about these events
and/or our programs connect with us
on Facebook and LinkedIn or visit the
Alumni website: http://www.seattleu.
edu/albers/executive/clf/alumni/