We’re pleased to announce that Carla Oleska, former Women’s Fund CEO who led the formation of the Leadership Institute for Political and Public Impact (LIPPI) and Daisy Hernandez, LIPPI Class of 2017, have been chosen to lead the upcoming 9th cohort of LIPPI which begins in September. Donna Haghighat, current CEO, remarked “We were very impressed by the caliber of the candidates who responded to our request for proposals for a consultant to lead LIPPI for the next year and were hard-pressed to pick one.”
During this one-year appointment, Oleska and Hernandez will coordinate the LIPPI program by implementing the curriculum, identifying and scheduling instructors, acting as the main point of contact with participants, communicating with Bay Path University (our LIPPI partner), and collecting and analyzing student and alumnae data. Oleska, who will also serve as the Bay Path academic instructor for the course, expressed that “It is such an honor to be back working with a program that has, and will continue to have, transformational impact on so many women and in turn the communities in which they live and work.”
The LIPPI program, launched in 2009, has trained over 250 women in Massachusetts in a non-partisan initiative to provide women with the tools, mentors, and confidence needed to become our region’s community leaders and elected officials. Since the first cohort, LIPPI graduates are active in running for public office, currently holding office, sitting on boards, writing policy, promoting public advocacy, and drafting legislation while encouraging respectful and meaningful civic engagement.
The program begins in September and runs to June. The eleven Saturday sessions in downtown Springfield include locally and nationally known guest speakers and intensive training on a particular topics essential to leadership development for public service, policy advocacy, and workplace management. The tuition for the program is $2,500 and limited scholarships are available. College credit for the course is available through our partner Bay Path University for an additional fee.
Oleska and Hernandez will oversee the program for the next year as the WFWM Board and staff envision the future of LIPPI as it reaches its tenth year. Hernandez said “It is exciting to return to the LIPPI program as an instructor who will gain insights from both Carla Oleska as lead facilitator, but also from the women in the next cohort.” There are still a few seats available for the upcoming LIPPI session and applicants are encouraged to apply online even though the official deadline has passed. New applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. To learn more or apply online visit www.mywomensfund.org/lippi-details/