LWS Recognized as a Leader in Diversity

The Triad Business Journal’s Leaders in Diversity awards celebrate individuals and companies who have worked to establish and advance diversity and inclusion efforts in their workplaces and communities. These organizations and individuals have gone above and beyond to bolster equality across all areas of diversity; including age, disability, gender, sexual orientation, race, religion, and socio-economic backgrounds.
Leadership Winston-Salem is proud to be included as an honoree this year as one of only four nonprofit/government organizations. You can read more here
 

LWS Current Class Member Spotlight – Meet Iris Cole

What do you do? 
I’m a Founding Partner at She Raises the Bar, a corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainability consulting firm. We work with companies to help them define their best social/environmental investments and connect that strategically to their sustainability and growth. I am also the CEO and Founder of Do Good Artist, a social enterprise that creates social impact and economic development through multi-sector collaborations between the arts and other industries. As an example of the work we do, we just launched Unseen, a virtual reality experience that raises awareness about human trafficking, at RiverRun Film Festival. Moving forward, the experience will be used as a training tool for a variety of different sectors. 

Why did you want to get involved with Leadership Winston-Salem? 
I’m relatively new to Winston Salem, having moved here about 3 years ago. Before that, I had lived and worked abroad for 12 years in Puerto Rico and Spain. It is important for me personally and professionally to understand the communities that I live and work in in order to know how to make meaningful connections and a real difference. Leadership WS offered a particular opportunity to do so and to network with a great group of leaders in our community. 

How has Leadership Winston-Salem changed your relationship/perspective on the Winston-Salem community? 
I think it’s helped me gain a broader understanding of the conglomerate issues that affect our community and how they connect. I’ve learned a lot about the history of the area and past and present economic drivers that I know will nurture the work that I do. It’s also made me more interested in sectors such as health, where I might invest more of my time, treasure and talent on a personal level. I’ve loved WS since I arrived, but I’m thrilled to have a new circle of friends and thoughtful leaders because of this amazing experience. 

An in-depth look at impact–a focus on Leadership Winston-Salem

Did you miss these Winston-Salem Monthly articles when they first came out?  Read them here now:

May 2015               Lessons in Leadership: Igniting Community Leadership for 30 years—and beyond

April 2015              Called to Lead: Leadership Winston-Salem aims for diversity

March  2015           Allied Forces: LWS has led to numerous collaborations over the years: here is a recent example…

February 2015       Double Duty: Local couples discuss sharing the Leadership Winston Salem Experience

January 2015         In Good Health: How a recent LWS challenge is creating a “Healthy Winston-Salem”

December 2014     A Christmas Collaboration: How a LWS project continues to make the holidays brighter for families in need

November 2014    Moving Forward: New space provides new connections for LWS

October 2014         Healing Force: How LWS helped launch Crisis Control’s innovative Free Pharmacy

September 2014   How LWS Graduate Trae Cotton is Paying it Forward

August 2014         Leadership Connects to Education

July 2014             Leadership in Action: Action Learning Projects help build and better the community

June 2014           Igniting Community Leadership: For 30 years, Leadership Winston-Salem has connected, energized, and transformed local leaders

 

 

LWS Welcomes New Board Members

WINSTON-SALEM – Leadership Winston-Salem announced the addition of eight new members to the Board of Directors, and the election of officers for 2015-2016. Chairing the Board of Directors is Andrew (Andy) Dreyfuss, Venn Capital. Other officers include Vice Chair Andrew (Andy) Brown, COR 365; Secretary Kathy Goliszek, Carolina Urological Associates; Treasurer Lisa Venable, DataMax Corp; and immediate past Chair is Dr. D. Kathy Stitts, Winston-Salem State University.

Newly appointed board members are Dr. Trae T.Cotton, Winston-Salem State University; Dale (Dek) Driscoll, The Driscoll Group; Rev. Donald Jenkins, St. Paul United Methodist Church; Joanna Lyall, Wake Forest Baptist Health; Wendy Poteat, Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce; Evan Raleigh, City of Winston-Salem; Claire Tuttle; Community Volunteer; and Brad Zabel, Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County.

The Board of Directors acknowledged the contributions of outgoing board members Linda Jackson Barnes with the Office of the Mayor for her six years of service; Cynthia Charles, Secretary for her three years of service ; Bishop J.C. Hash with St. Peter’s World Outreach Center for his six years of service; Thomas (Tom) Ingram with Wake Forest Baptist Health for his six years of service; Peter Juran, past board chair for his seven years of service, Dr. Doris Páez  with Forsyth Futures for her five years of service; Vickie Russell with Wake Forest Baptist Health for her three years of service, and Karl Yena for his six years of service.

With a mission of educating, connecting and energizing leaders to serve and improve the community, Leadership Winston-Salem, a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charitable organization founded in 1984, offers a nine-month Flagship Program that challenges participants to increase their personal and collective capacity to transform the community through civic engagement, servant leadership and building social capital.

15-16 LWS New Board Members