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[Margo Hittleman <mjh17 AT cornell.edu>]

 

 

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The Natural Leaders Initiative is pleased to announce our new, 5-session, intensive Sustainability Leadership Development series, “From Scarcity to Abundance: Building Diverse Leadership for Ecologically Sound, Inclusive & Just  Communities.”  This series is especially designed for those in local organizations working on issues such as food, energy, waste, transportation, land use, green jobs, local economies, climate change, etc.).

 

Session dates: Thursdays, Feb. 13, March 6, April 3, and May 1 – all full-day sessions.   Half-day session on June 5. . In addition, participants will schedule a “Sharing Learning” session with others in their organizations.

Now accepting registrations; limited to 25 participants.  To register, or for more information, contact Margo Hittleman at mjh17 AT cornell.edu or 272-2292, x 167.

About the series:  

The need to “cultivate diversity” is a foundational principle for those working on ecological sustainability. It’s well known that without widespread, diverse relationships, biological systems are weak and vulnerable to collapse. The same is true for our social communities.  But in spite of good intentions and efforts, many local organizations have struggled in this regard.

This series is designed to help those in local “sustainability” organizations strengthen their abilities to build diverse relationships and develop diverse leadership, while simultaneously furthering their mission, goals, and work.

 

NLI’s ½ day “From Scarcity to Abundance” workshops have been receiving rave reviews (see below for comments). But a consistent request has been for more intensive support to explore and implement NLI’s approach to building and supporting diverse relationships and leadership. Here it is.

 

Who should attend:

·        Staff, volunteers and Board members from Tompkins County organizations committed to the inter-related work of building inclusive, just and ecologically sound – that is, sustainable -- communities.

·        Leaders are found at all levels of an organization, whether or not they have formal leadership titles. For this reason, we welcome participants from all levels of your organization, as long as they have their supervisor’s support to experiment with new approaches to their work and are willing to share what they are learning with others in their organizations.

·        We encourage organizations to send multiple participants to increase impact and bolster  organizational change.  

 

Participants will:

·        Learn the skills and perspectives to engage with diverse participants and community members, while furthering your organization’s mission and work

·        Identify the diverse, untapped pools of natural leaders and potential leaders who already have some connection to your organization, or share interests and goals

·        Identify and implement strategies to systematically build  diverse relationships and develop diverse leadership

·        Identify and implement strategies to support and retain diverse grassroots leaders as staff, volunteer and Board members

·        Integrate a relationship-building and leadership development orientation and activities into your organization’s ongoing programs

·        Learn the skills of network leadership; develop a “network mindset” and plans for collective impact in this area

·        Define and evaluate “success” so you can account for your relational and leadership development work

·        Build an ongoing leadership support network with other participants

 

Action Learning: NLI’s workshops are highly interactive. You will work with other participants to explore new ways of thinking and working; define desired results and identify promising actions; put your plans into action; notice what happens; come together to reflect on successes and challenges; problem-solve, learn new skills, and refine your plans or identify new steps. You should on assignments between sessions to practice new skills, take actions that you have identified, and reflect on what you are learning.  

 

Coaching and support: Between sessions, NLI facilitators will be available to participants via email, phone and occasional face-to-face meetings to provide coaching and support on an as-needed basis.

 

Networking opportunities: We will provide networking opportunities with NLI Grads and other natural leaders interested in building sustainable, socially just, inclusive communities.   

 

Certificate: Participants who attend at least 5 of the 6 sessions and take part in a “Sharing Learning” session will receive a Leadership Development Certificate from Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins.

 

Cost:  Non-profit rate - $150 for the series  (equivalent to $25/session) for the first person from an organization; $75 for additional participants.   For-profit rate: $500 (small organizations) and $800 (large organizations).  Some scholarships are available.   We are able to offer these highly discounted rates thanks to a grant from the Park Foundation and  support from Cornell Cooperative Extension-Tompkins.

 

Leadership team:

·        Margo Hittleman (NLI Co-founder and Coordinator)

·        Fabina Colon (NLI Educator and NLI Grad)

·        A team of NLI Grads will join as co-facilitators and presenters

What participants have said about NLI's past “Scarcity to Abundance” workshops:

·        I left your introductory workshop energized and wanting more, convinced that cultivating diverse and networked leadership is critically important to the health and resilience of our community and region.

·        This was a new way of thinking!

·        I have been impressed by the insights [the NLI staff] bring and their capacity to tailor workshop content to the specific needs of the participating individuals and organizations.

•  [The workshop] got me thinking about all the different hats I wear (volunteer coordinator, staff-supervisor, Advisory Board, youth leader, fund-raiser, etc) and what type of "leader" I am/want to be.
• I need to really have deep discussions with my board about this! Schedule at least a whole meeting and then put it on agenda as a standing item to address.

·        I would love to have access to NLI's thinking and mentality on an ongoing basis.

·        I want more of my Board to attend this!

·        Margo is a great presenter; Fabina too! Great team!

About the Leadership Team

Margo Hittleman, NLI Co-founder and Coordinator. Margo is passionate about helping people and organizations strengthen their capacities to collectively build strong, inclusive communities. This goal has guided her work with grassroots, human service and educational organizations in Tompkins County for over three decades, as well as been the focus of her educational consulting firm since 1990. Margo has also taught at Cornell University where she was the recipient of three teaching awards there. In these capacities, she has designed and led numerous educational and professional development workshops and curricula on leadership; staff and organizational development; diversity and inclusion; human rights; social and organizational change; alliance-building, university-community and school-community partnerships, participatory action research; and evaluation. She has also written several professional development books and publications, including Winning Decisions: Getting It Right the First Time (Doubleday, 2002), and Counting Caring: Attending to the Human in an Age of Public Management (Cornell Cooperative Extensions, 2007). She has a BA in “Biology and Society” and a PhD in Adult Education, all from Cornell University. She lives in Lansing, where she has built a home-scale permaculture garden-farm and writes an occasional blog: “Everyday Eden.”

Fabina Benites Colon, NLI Educator.  A native of Peru who immigrated to Tompkins County at the age of 9, Fabina is passionate about multicultural education, sustaining indigenous knowledge and values, and  employing arts and culture as vehicles for community building and social change. In spring 2013, she launched the first youth-led International Youth Arts and Culture Festival (IYAC Fest). In addition to her work with NLI, she has co-founded Creative Community Designs (CCD) with two other NLI Grads; CCD is a civic education initiative working to promote cultural competency, unity and civic engagement among Tompkins County youth. Fabina has served as a volunteer, Board member and Board Treasurer for a number of Tompkins County organizations; she is currently a Board member for Better Housing of Tompkins County. She has also worked in financial management positions at Cornell and Ithaca College. Fabina has a B.S. in counseling for multicultural adolescents from Empire State College, and is a graduate of the NLI program.

 

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