Ford Foundation 2013 Administrative Professionals Conference by flip2013

Making an Impact The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit

Impact

Dynamic

Ford Foundation Administrative Professionals Conference

Leader

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Value

Support

Professionalism

Dedication

Excellence

Communication

Pragmatic

Impactful

Table of Contents Program at a Glance

Welcome Address by Deborah Collins Director, Administrative Services Ford Foundation

Keynote Address by Lisa Philp Vice President for Strategic Philanthropy Foundation Center

Plenary and Elective Sessions

Acknowledgments

Ford Foundation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit | Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Program at a Glance

8:30 – 9:00 am

Breakfast

9:00 – 9:30 am

Welcome and Keynote Address Deborah Collins | Ford Foundation Lisa Philp | Foundation Center

9:30 – 11:00 am

Perfecting Your Pitch Jan Brown | Room 1 Jen Schenkel | Room 2

11:00 – 11:15 am

Break

11:15 – 12:30 pm

The Evolving Role of the Assistant Melba J. Duncan | Room 1 The Fundamentals of Project Management Anita Dhir | Room 2

12:30– 1:30 pm

Lunch

1:30 – 3:00 pm

3:00 – 3:15 pm 3:15 – 4:30 pm

4:30 – 5:30 pm

Closing Remarks and Social Hour

Ford Foundation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit

Welcome

Deborah Collins, Administrative Services Ford Foundation Dear Colleagues, I am so pleased to welcome you to the first Administrative Professionals Conference for the Ford Foundation administrative team. The role you play within the career you choose has far‐reaching impact on an organization’s success. So many aspects of an assistant’s work are invisible yet mission critical: a manager arrives at a meeting on time, well‐prepared, well‐ informed, and stress‐free. ‘Sound familiar? ‘Sound simple? As individuals, Ford administrative professionals touch every aspect of the foundation’s activities: from program to facilities, to legal and financial services, to operations, investments, information technology and management, and human resources. As a team, you manage and move a significant amount of information in and out of the foundation. Over time, almost every grantee or partner working with Ford has interacted with a member of this team. Your actions—as a team or as individuals—represent the ongoing efforts of the Ford Foundation as it moves its mission forward. The role of an administrative professional may be familiar to you, but as you already know, it is far from simple. A complex mix of technical knowledge, relationship management experience, good judgment, forward planning, and a healthy handful of good humor makes up the strategic toolkit of a successful administrative professional. The program developed for the Administrative Professionals Conference reflects my many conversations with you and with other colleagues across the foundation in recent months. It is designed to support the work that you do every day as a team, to highlight different perspectives and best practices that may or may not be new to you, and to explore ideas and options as you look forward in your career. The program sessions therefore follow three broad areas of focus: 1. New to Ford or New to Your Role: Key messages, tips, and best practice approaches to help build your career toolkit as an assistant. 2. Career Assistant: You are a seasoned and key contributor to the Ford team, and are interested in additional best practice approaches, and in learning about new ways to strengthen your toolkit and enhance your role. 3. Ready for Change: You are polishing off your résumé and getting your toolkit in shape to take on that next challenge. Whichever area of focus interests you most, you will meet an incredibly talented and interesting group of speakers and colleagues who want to share their experiences with you, in an environment where we are removed from the day‐to‐ day in order to focus on career goals and to learn from each other. Our speakers and guests are your resources and collaborators as you think about what tools you want to add to your own career toolkit. I am thrilled to be your new colleague at Ford, working within a foundation‐wide initiative to recognize the value in professional development. The Administrative Professionals Conference is a significant and positive start to our journey, as we work together to strengthen Ford’s own strategic toolkit through its commitment to career‐long learning. All best wishes,

Deborah Collins Director, Administrative Services 2

Ford Foundation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit

W Welccom me

D Deborah Co ollins, Administrative Services Ford Fou undation

Debo orah Collin ns is the Direector of Admi nistrative Serrvices at the FFord Foundattion. Arriving from a simiilar role at the e Alfred P. Slooan Foundation, Deborah oversees thee professsional develo opment of Forrd’s administrrative teams and managess the operatio onal effectivveness of adm ministrative ssystems. Deboraah began her career at 16,, working as tthe Executivee Assistant to a soccer club b managger. At 23, she e started her own businesss, providing o office manageement and em mployment agency service es, and went back to schoo ol at 27 to ea rn an honors degree in English from the University of Lo ondon. Affter graduatin ng in 1998, De eborah initiallly utilized her assistant skkills to supporrt the director of Tate Mod dern, an nd was later aasked to take on Chief of SStaff and Chie ef Administrattor roles. Prio or to Tate Mo odern’s opening in 20 000, Deborah h led the recru uitment and ttraining of its new operati ons staff, managed the sp pace planning and co onstruction of the new offices and mee eting spaces, aand chaired aa variety of staff, Board, an nd artist‐ su upported com mmittees to develop and im mplement Tatte’s strategic initiatives. m in New Yorkk, Deborah th hen stretched d out to test Affter moving to a similar role at the Whitney Museum heerself as a maanagement, strategic plann ning, and ope erations cons ultant, which h led to Deborrah eventually seerving as the Executive Director of two non‐profits. Th hroughout he er career, Deb borah has served as a volunteer fundra iser, event planner, markeeting manageer, an nd project maanager on a raange of non‐p profit initiativves. She has sserved on a vaariety of boarrds, juries, an nd paanels related to undergrad duate educatiion and scholarship prograams, and has developed and managed seeminars and w workshops on n quality assurance, projecct managemeent, professional developm ment, and bussiness co ontinuity.

Ford Fou undation | Makin ng an Impact: Th he Administrative e Professional’s S Strategic Toolkit

K Keynotte Add A dre ess

Lisaa Philp, Vicce Presiden nt for Strategic Philan nthropy Fou undation Center C

Lisa Philp is Vicce President ffor Strategic PPhilanthropy at the Foundation Center.. In this ro ole, she connects funders, philanthropyy networks, aand donor advvisors with daata, research and techn nology to enccourage moree strategic and collaborativve giving. Herr respo onsibilities incclude oversigh ht of GrantCraaft, a former project of the Ford Found dation, which h provides “prractical wisdoom” for fundeers. Lissa previouslyy served as Maanaging Direcctor and Glob bal Head of Phhilanthropic SServices for th he J.P. Morgaan Prrivate Bank. In this role, sh he oversaw $1 100+ million iin annual gra ntmaking by 65 foundatio ons and, with her teeam, advised several hundred major do onors each year. Prior to jooining J.P. Mo organ in 1998 8, she was Pro ogram Offficer for Youth Development and Educcation at The Robin Hood FFoundation aand Director o of Co ommunications and Goverrnment Relations at Philan nthropy New York. Lissa’s leadership in philanth hropy includess past positio ons as Chair o f Asian Amerricans/Pacific Islanders in Ph hilanthropy, aa Vice Chair o of The New Yo ork Women’s Foundation, and as a boaard member o of Grantmakeers for Ch hildren, Youth h and Familie es. A frequentt commentato or on philanthhropy matterrs in the presss, she has also o taaught Master’’s level course ework on philanthropy as an adjunct p rofessor at New York Univversity. Lissa earned an MBA in markketing and no onprofit manaagement from m the Kellogg School of Maanagement att orthwestern University an No nd received he er BA in Asian n Studies andd Economics ffrom the Univversity of M Michigan. She was also sele ected as a Chaarles H. Revso on Fellow at CColumbia University. ●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● Fo oundation n Center Esstablished in 1956 and tod day supported d by close to 5 550 foundatioons, the Foun ndation Centeer is the leadiing so ource of inforrmation about philanthrop py worldwide. Through datta, analysis, aand training, it connects peeople who want to ch hange the wo orld to the ressources they need to succ eed. The Cen nter maintainss the most co omprehensive e database on n U.S. and, increasingly, global grantmaakers and theeir grants —a robust, accesssible ng programs designed to kn nowledge ban nk for the secctor. It also op perates research, educatioon, and trainin ad dvance knowledge of philaanthropy at every level. Th housands of p people visit th he Center's w web site each day and are sserved in its ffive regional library/learnin ng ceenters and itss network of 4 470 funding in nformation ce enters locateed in public lib braries, comm munity fo oundations, and education nal institutions nationwide and around tthe world.

Ford Found dation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s P Strrategic Toolkit

Session 1

9:30 am

Rooms 1 and 2

Perfecting Your Pitch

(plenary session)

Your role is more than just assisting someone. How do you convey all that you do, both every day and in unique situations? Use this 'comfort zone' to explore and experiment with the art of perfecting your pitch. Learn and practice tools to help you tell a clear and compelling story to others about yourself, your role, and your work. Utilize skills learned to engage others in any given situation, either to communicate better with colleagues or to help build your network—but always to make a positive impact.

●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Jan Brown is a life and career coach focused on helping women craft a fulfilling life with work that they love. Her particular focus is on working moms and moms returning to work after a career break. Prior to coaching, Jan worked for 15 years in the field of corporate philanthropy, first as a Program Officer at the Morgan Stanley Foundation and then as a Senior Consultant at TCC Group, advising Fortune 500 companies on their philanthropic programs and charitable giving. Jan is the Founder and former Board Chair of Powwow: A Network for Women Making a Difference. Powwow brings women in the social sector in New York City together for networking, professional development, and peer exchange. Jan did her coach training and received her certification from the Coaches Training Institute (CTI). Jan has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Chapel Hill and a master’s degree from Pennsylvania University. She lives in Brooklyn, New York with her husband and two daughters. ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● Jen Schenkel is an independent consultant and certified coach with more than 20 years of leadership experience in the nonprofit and philanthropic sectors. She is interested in supporting individuals and teams to share best practices, leverage resources, identify gaps, and reach their full potential. A skilled facilitator and consensus builder, Jen has a collaborative style that supports her clients’ abilities to find their own answers. Jen also has extensive experience as a trainer and has designed and delivered dozens of trainings on leadership development, networking, career planning, and volunteer management to corporations, volunteers, and nonprofits both in the United States and abroad. Prior to launching her consulting business in 2004, Jen spent 15 years in progressively senior roles in the NYC nonprofit sector, including serving as the Managing Director of New York Cares and the Senior Program Manager at the 9/11 United Services Group. Jen complements and enriches her consulting and training work with a life/career coaching practice for individuals. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, and received her coaching certification from the Coaches Training Institute. Jen lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn with her husband and two daughters.

Ford Foundation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit

Sesssion n2

11:15 am

Roo om 1

E Evolving Role R of th he Assisttant

(elecctive)

Deeveloping strrategies for success. There e can be dram matic changess in the work place. Assistaants have nevver beeen more chaallenged—or more stretched—in any w work place envvironment than they are today. Expectations arre high, and yyou need to do whatever itt takes to kee ep the 'trains moving' amid dst the many challenges b brought on n by process re‐engineerin ng, restructurring, or new te echnology, orr everything aat once. Deveelop effectivee, sttrategic, and ccreative prob blem‐solving sskills that will boost your innterpersonal effectivenesss, your self‐ aw wareness, and d your professsional develo opment ideass. Learn pract ical strategies and tactics that will enab ble you to o manage you ur role and yo our career witth new‐found d authority, prrofessionalism m, and successs.

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Melba J. Duncan is the Founder andd President off The Duncan Group Inc., aa rettained search and consulting firm. Sincee 1985, the firm has been advising CEO Os and oth her corporate e leaders regaarding speciallized senior m management support resources. The e firm operattes on a natio onal basis, andd offers expertise in four p practice areass: reccruitment, orgganizational cconsulting, cooaching, and executive‐levvel training fo or pro ofessional asssistants. M Melba is the Founder and C CEO of the Du uncan Leadership Institutee, which makees available eeducational prrograms in higghly specializzed business sskills to maxim mize the capaabilities of current and nexxt generation Seenior‐Level an nd C‐Suite Assistants, and multiple tierss of administrrative supporrt staff. Coursses are delivered by accademic profe essionals. Sh he is author o of How to Succceed in Busin ness as an Exeecutive Assistaant (Macmillaan, 1990) and d The New Exxecutive Asssistant: Adviice for Succeeeding as an Exxecutive or Ad dministrative Assistant (McGraw‐Hill, 1997). Melba’s most reecent book prrojects are Ind dispensabilityy, an overview w of career suurvival strateggies in the neew economy, and Th he Handbook of Assistantss’ Best Practicces, both sche eduled to be ppublished in 22013. She hass also authored nu umerous articcles, includingg The Case for Executive Assistants feattured in the M May, 2011 issue of the Harrvard Bu usiness Review. M Melba hosts On Point, an internet‐based d radio prograam launched in May 2013 focusing on tthe impact off Exxecutive Assisstant Leadersship.

Ford Found dation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s P Strrategic Toolkit

Se esssion n3

1 11:15 am Room 2

T The Funda amentalss of Proje ect Mana agementt

(elective)

W What is projecct manageme ent? Why doees it matter in n my role? Wiill it be usefull for me as I lo ook to do new w th hings in my ca areer? Is it wo orth getting a a PM certification? Prroject management is increasingly impo ortant for tho ose who prom mise to meet project goals on time, within bu udget, and while maintaining high standards. Learn theories and techniques b behind successsful project m management, including taskk organization n and sequen ncing; schedu le developmeent including Gantt charts; m managing criticcal path imple ementation; aand the use o of milestones . his session is taught by a P Project Managgement Instittute (PMI) cerrtified trainerr and NYU adjjunct faculty Th m member. Learn n the basics o of project man nagement, an nd talk with a professionall project manager and trainer ab bout the bene efits and challenges of a caareer that inccludes projectt managemen nt.

●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●

Anitta Dhir, Preesident and CEO of Medhirra Enterprisess, is a system thinker who emph hasizes the im mportance of ggaining know wledge and bu uilding relatio onships to achievve success. Sh he has over 2 20 years of exxperience worrking with ind dividuals and Fortune 500 companies to manage strategicc quality and p project manaagement initiattives. Anita is a Project M Management Institute (PM MI)‐certified PProject Managgement Prrofessional (P PMP®). She haas successfully planned and implementted project offfice, training,, outsourcingg, an nd process im mprovement sstrategies for organizations to achieve tthe Software Engineering Institute’s Caapability Maturity Model ((SEI’s CCM) to o levels 2 and 3. Ass Medhira’s le ead consultan nt and learnin ng solutions p provider, Anitta focuses on providing pro oject m management aand operation nal best practtices solutionss for her cliennts based in U USA, Europe, India, and M Mauritius. Anitta has conduccted over 500 0 workshops aacross the gloobe and shareed her experttise with overr 4,,000 studentss. An nita has publiished the various Exam Pre ep Kits to assist candidatees in their queest for PMI ceertifications su uch ass Certified Asssociate in Pro oject Management (CAPM®) and PMP® . nita has serve ed on variouss PMI Chapterr Boards since e 1998. She iss an Adjunct A Assistant Proffessor at NYU U An an nd has degree es in Computer Engineerin ng and Physicss.

Ford Fou undation | Makin ng an Impact: Th he Administrative e Professional’s S Strategic Toolkit

Sesssion n4

1:30 pm

Roo om 1

T Taking the e Lead

(eelective)

Ho ow doing the e work, and m managing the e work, are tw wo very differrent things. H How to take ccharge when yo ou're not the boss. Despite e your title orr your job desscription, youur role may reequire you to lead and guid de otthers, to delegate, give insstruction or direction—eve en correction , to coach, facilitate, and tto motivate. Find out how to master a haandful of esse ential leadersship behaviorrs and attitudes to help you become thee peerson others look to for direction and aare willing follow. Use the tactics learneed to convey the verbal orr written "voice"" you want pe eople to hearr—the voice o of the assertivve, persuasivee, credible prrofessional yo ou reeally are.

●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●

Elizabeth A. A Winters' talent as a sspeaker and eexpertise as a business leader has brought her many rewarrds. But nonee is more grattifying than reealizing how m many lives she has ch hanged througgh her spiriteed sessions on n managing, leading, coach hing, teaambuilding, aand communiicating. Elizabeth launcched her care eer straight ou ut of college w when she joinned a commu unications firm m and rose frrom ng specialist in six years. In n 1992, she beecame a train ning managerr for Chubb asssistant manaager to trainin In nsurance. She managed the e personnel p performance improvemen t of 3,000 em mployees thro ough training and deevelopment aand delivered d hundreds off classroom an nd web‐basedd training sesssions. In n 2000, Elizabeth started delivering train ning on the p products and sservices of a ttechnology co ompany. In her m most recent job as director of a propertyy services com mpany, she prresented key strategic anaalysis before ttop orrganization le eaders and clients. Elizabetth has provided extensive classroom an nd web training, reaching more th han 400 clientts including Brandeis Unive ersity, Bank o of Tokyo, the U.S. Departm ment of Defen nse, Mitsubish hi, an nd The Salvation Army as w well as severaal Fortune 500 clients. Eliz abeth believees drive and aambition com me from within, an nd she uses th he platform tto unleash the ese qualities iin her audien nces. Elizabeth h earned a BSS in Humanities at Iona College in Westchestter, New Yorkk.

Ford Found dation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s P Strrategic Toolkit

S Sesssion n5

1:30 pm Room 2

C Career Tra ansitioniing

(electivee)

I'm m ready! I'd llike to transittion into a no on‐support ro ole. What couuld be next forr me in my ca areer? Use thiis ‘comfort zone’ to talk inform mally—and ass candidly as you want—a bout your career goals. Geet perspectivve and gu uidance from a professional career coach who specializes in transsitioning proffessionals into o new careerrs. es to understaand what motivates you; aassess your trransferrable sskills and bestt work Leearn strategie en nvironment; aand identify aand choose th he right caree er direction. D Discover the ffundamental shifts you'll w want to o make suppo ort your caree er transition in ncluding how w to package oor re‐packagee yourself, gain credibility, neetwork, or secure mentoring that will h help you on yo our way.

●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●

Jeff Neil N is the Foounder of New w Career Bre akthrough, a career counsseling company that sp pecializes in helping professsionals to maake career traansitions. han 3,000 peo ople to identify the Since the company’s start in 2004, Jeff has heelped more th right caareer directio on for them and supportedd their careerr transitions. JJeff’s clients h have ranged d in age from 20 to 74‐yearrs old and havve covered alll career stagees from new graduates to C‐levell executives. n 2010, Jeff de eveloped and d launched an award‐winning, six‐step pprogram thatt helps clientss ‘go from carreer In co onfusion to caareer clarity.’ Jeff has appe eared on all o of the major TTV networks ((ABC, CBS, NB BC and Fox), aand hiis career transition strateggies have been featured in many publicaations, includ ding The New w York Times, Wall Sttreet Journal, USA Today, aand Business Insider. W When he’s nott working in N New York City, Jeff has enjo oyed extensivve travel in Assia, the Middle East, North h Affrica, Central and South Am mericas, and Antarctica.

Ford Foundation | Makin ng an Impact: The e Administrative Professional’s S Strategic Toolkit

Sesssion n6

3:15 pm

Roo om 1

S Staying in n Sync wiith Your Manager M r

(elective)

No two people are busier than the assistant and d their boss. A constant avalanche o of meetings, hone calls, aand deadline es leaves little time to talk to each otther about tthe deadlinees let alone to ph acctually comm municate. Ou ut of necessity, the mostt successful assistants crreate system ms that develop a sttrong managger‐assistantt team. Learn n valuable to ools to maintain an exceellent relationship with yyour m manager. W When working with multiiple manage ers, establish h communicaation channeels to managge the demaands on n your time. Manage challenging wo orking relatio onships—th e co‐workerr, the vendorr, the managger. Bu uild on the ttools shared in this session to managge negative behavior or the emotion ns that rise u up w when you are e faced with challenging situations or people. ●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●

Elizabeth A. A Winters' talent as a sspeaker and eexpertise as a business leader has brought her many rewarrds. But nonee is more grattifying than reealizing how m many hanged througgh her spiriteed sessions on n managing, leading, coach hing, lives she has ch teaambuilding, aand communiicating. Elizabeth launcched her care eer straight ou ut of college w when she joinned a commu unications firm m and rose frrom asssistant manaager to trainin ng specialist in six years. In n 1992, she beecame a train ning managerr for Chubb In nsurance. She managed the e personnel p performance improvemen t of 3,000 em mployees thro ough training and deevelopment aand delivered d hundreds off classroom an nd web‐basedd training sesssions. In n 2000, Elizabeth started delivering train ning on the p products and sservices of a ttechnology co ompany. In her m most recent job as director of a propertyy services com mpany, she prresented key strategic anaalysis before ttop orrganization le eaders and clients. Elizabetth has provided extensive classroom an nd web training, reaching more th han 400 clientts including Brandeis Unive ersity, Bank o of Tokyo, the U.S. Departm ment of Defen nse, Mitsubish hi, an nd The Salvation Army as w well as severaal Fortune 500 clients. Eliz abeth believees drive and aambition com me from within, an nd she uses th he platform tto unleash the ese qualities iin her audien nces. Elizabeth h earned a BSS in Humanities at Iona College in Westchestter, New Yorkk.

10 0

Ford Foun ndation | Making an Impact: The e Administrative Professional’s S Strategic Toolkit

Sesssion n7

3:15 pm Room 2

A Converssation on n Career Planning g (elective) W What does it take to be a g great assistan nt? Got that. Now what? What are thee options for a a great assisttant w who is looking for new a cha allenge? Is it t more of the ssame at a diff fferent organiization? Is it a move into m management?? Does everyo one but me ha ave a plan? H How do some administratoors move through their careeers? me profession nal administraators do—and d don't—plann their career paths. Share your own sto ory, Leearn how som an nd maybe takke away some e ideas to help p plan your own trajectoryy.

●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●● (modeerator) Philip Li is Chieff Administrative Officer off The Centuryy Foundation. He came to Centu ury from Broo oklyn Community Foundat ion, where hee served as Chief Operatin ng Office er. He has worked with nonprofit organnizations and foundations as a philanthropic servicces consultantt at Changingg Our World. Philip also served aas the Executive Director oof the Coro New York Lead dership Centeer, which h trains and develops new generations of civic leadeers. He spent a dozen yearss on W Wall Street, staarting at Merrill Lynch as aa Systems Anaalyst and finisshing at Moody’s Investors Service as aa High Yield Bond Anaalyst. A recipient of aa United Wayy of New Yorkk City award for communitty service, Phiil serves on a number of no onprofit boarrds and is a trustee of a fam mily foundation. A residennt of Brooklyn n, Phil earned d a BA from th he University of Pennsylvania aand an MBA ffrom The Whaarton School.. ●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●

Lind dsay Firesttone "One day soon it w will be commo onplace to heear profession nals from all industries askk, ‘what pro bono did d you do this quarter?'" Lindsaay Firestone, Director of A Advisory Servi ces at the Taproot Foundaation, is a wid dely recognized authoriity on corporaate pro bonoo programs. The founder of the Taproott Found dation's corpo orate program m, she advisees executives at dozens of partner companies on the strategy and design of theeir pro bono eefforts. She has been a tru usted adviso or in the deve elopment and d growth of thhe majority o of leading corp porate prograams from Capital One to Pfizer. U Under her leaadership, Tap proot's corporrate advisory services havee become thee go‐ o resource forr companies sseeking to levverage their e employee taleent for social impact. (conttinued, page 12) to

Ford Foun ndation | Making g an Impact: The e Administrative P Professional’s Sttrategic Toolkit

Sesssion n7

3:15 pm

Roo om 2 (FFirestone, con ntinued) A frequent pub blic speaker o on corporate p philanthropy and pro bonoo service, Lindsay has auth hored and co ontributed to many of the seminal thou ught leadership works in thhe field on to opics ranging ffrom pro bon no in hu uman resourcces to best prractices in effective prograam design. Prrior to joiningg Taproot in 2 2004, Lindsay worked at Ne ew Sector All iance, a nonp profit organizzation that wo orks with private se ector strategyy consultants to engage stu udents in straategy consultiing projects ffor nonprofitss. Her prrofessional exxperience also o includes tim me in the Dep partment of CCorporate Straategy in the o office of the C CEO off the Americaan Red Cross aand Colgate‐P Palmolive's co orporate soci al responsibility departmeent. Lindsay reeceived her BA A in Political SScience and SSociology at YYale Universitty where she wrote her theesis on cross‐‐ seector approacches to organizational man nagement in n nonprofits. Shhe was selectted as a 2010 0 member of Am merican Express Leadership Academy. ●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●●● ●●●●●●●●●

Edna a Iriarte Prior tto joining the New York Fo oundation in 22009, Edna provided admiinistrative and prograammatic supp port to philan nthropic and nnon‐profit organizations d dedicated to ssocial justice e issues relate ed to immigraation, labor a nd the enviro onment. On the nonprofit side, she co onducted the initial research that led too the creation n of La Fuentee, a Tri‐State Worke er and Comm munity Fund, aa labor and coommunity partnership thaat seeks to empow wer immigran nts, workers aand their com mmunities to take action through grassroots organizing, leadersship developm ment, and issuue education. Ed dna’s philanth hropic careerr began in 199 94 as a Wome en and Philannthropy intern n with the No orman Foundaation, a national family foundation n focused on economic an nd environmeental justice. D During her fivve years at thee Neew World Foundation, she e assisted in launching and d managing thhe Phoenix Fu und for Workkers and Co ommunities; and develope ed an apprentticeship program for succeeeding prograam associatess. As a Prograam Offficer at the Jessie Smith N Noyes Foundaation, Edna m managed the ggrantmaking tto local comm munity groups to prromote sustainable practicces and prote ect the enviro onment and thhe health of N New Yorkers.. She also worked with Public Inte erest Projectss and the Nattional Employyment Law Prroject. Ed dna holds a M Master’s degre ee in Urban P Planning from m New York U niversity’s Ro obert F. Wagn ner Graduate Scchool of Publiic Service and d is a graduate e of Queens C College of thee City Universsity of New Yo ork. She grew w up in the Lower Eaast Side, and now resides in Jackson He eights with heer family.

elly Merry yman, Directtor of Financee and Operattions at NoVoo Foundation, Ke directs the finan ncial strategy and fiscal funnctions of thee Foundation and oversees its info ormation technology, hum man resource managemen nt, and administrative ope erations. She also guides N NoVo’s Missioon‐Related In nvestment pro ogram. Kelly brings 12 years of diverse experience in bboth the non‐profit and priivate sectors.. 12 2

Ford Foun ndation | Making an Impact: The e Administrative Professional’s S Strategic Toolkit

Session 7

3:15 pm Room 2

(Merryman, continued) Kelly graduated from the Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University, where she earned a BA in International Business Administration and Spanish. She has volunteered for the last 13 years as a camp counselor for children impacted by HIV/AIDS. When not wearing the many hats of operations management, you can usually find Kelly at the various thrift stores, stoop sales, and record shops sprinkled throughout the fabulous borough of Brooklyn. “One love, one heart.” —Bob Marley ●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●●

Ford Foundation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit

We would like to thank everyone who contributed towards the Ford Foundation Administrative Professionals Conference THE FORD FOUNDATION PROJECT TEAM Fatima Crosby, Communications Manager Suzan Gabaris, Production Manager Christina Hong, Project Manager Ariel Stengel, Budget Manager

Thank You!

EXPERTISE, GUIDANCE, AND REFERENCE MATERIALS Jan Brown, Jan Brown Coaching Helping women craft a fulfilling life with work they love. Jbrowncoaching@gmail.com Anita Dhir, Medhira Enterprises A Project Management Institute professional, certified trainer, and Adjunct Assistant Professor, building relationships, knowledge, and expertise in project management. adhir@medhira.com, www.medhira.com Melba J. Duncan, The Duncan Group, Inc. Providing training and coaching programs in business and best practices for administrative professionals. Host of On Point, focusing on the impact of Executive Assistant Leadership. www.duncangroupinc.com Lindsay Firestone, Taproot Foundation Our mission is to lead, mobilize and engage professionals in pro bono service that drives social change. We engage the nation’s millions of business professionals in pro bono services both through our award‐winning programs and by partnering with companies to develop their pro bono programs. One day, we envision all organizations with promising solutions will be equipped to successfully take on urgent social challenges. www.taprootfoundation.org Edna Iriate, New York Foundation The New York Foundation is a steadfast supporter of community organizing and advocacy in New York City. We believe that the resilience and vitality of its neighborhoods is the city’s greatest resource. Our grants support community‐initiated solutions to solve local problems, constituents mobilizing for adequate and equitable resources, and groups organizing a collective voice among those whose voices have not been heard. www.nyf.org K Squared Enterprises Real Solutions for Workplace Relationships Katherine Crowley and Kathi Elster create the yin and yang of their company, K Squared Enterprises. Since 1989, they’ve combined their complementary expertise to develop a unique method for dealing with challenging conditions at work. Sign up for blogs, webinars, and other tools to help you navigate the many situations that arise in an office environment. www.ksquaredenterprises.com Philip Li, The Century Foundation The Century Foundation provides creative, progressive solutions to our important domestic and international challenges. Fellows at The Century Foundation – among the most accomplished experts in the country – advance distinctive, workable ideas built on compelling evidence. www.tcf.org 14

Ford Foundation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit

Jeff Neil, New Career Breakthrough Specializing in helping professionals to make successful career transitions. jeff@beyourbestcoaching.com, www.careercoachnewyork.com Kelly Merryman, NoVo Foundation The NoVo Foundation fosters a transformation from a world of domination and exploitation to one of collaboration and partnership. www.novofoundation.org Lisa Philp, Foundation Center The Foundation Center is the leading source of information about philanthropy worldwide. Through data, analysis, and training, it connects people who want to change the world to the resources they need to succeed. The Foundation Center’s mission is to strengthen the social sector by advancing knowledge about philanthropy in the U.S. and around the world. www.foundationcenter.org Jen Schenkel, Jen Schenkel Coaching An advocate, coach, and trainer, supporting clients to leverage skills and resources, facilitate best practices, and build career paths. jenschenkel@gmail.com, www.jenschenkel.com Elizabeth Winters, SkillPath A premier provider of business training in the US, and abroad, offering over 20,000 “how to” sessions to help build and expand your career toolkit. www.skillpath.com Brennan Center for Justice and NYU School of Law Jafreen Uddin, April Sherwin, and the events teams at both the Brennan Center for Justice and NYU School of Law, for managing the logistical gymnastics associated with the demands and anxieties of event planning, and for helping to make this conference a success for the Ford Foundation. The American Society of Administrative Professionals (ASAP) ASAP is focused on providing significant year‐round, live and web‐based training, as well as on‐line resources that meet the growing demands of today’s busy Executive Assistants, Administrative Professionals, and other office professionals. Sign up for free membership at www.asaporg.com. YOU! THE PARTICIPANTS Thank you for your open and thoughtful conversations with me in these early months at the Ford Foundation. Each conversation has helped to develop the content for this conference and provided an opportunity for each of us to learn more about what’s important in our day‐to‐day work and in our careers. We have already achieved a lot in a few months. I look forward to our continued work together. Never stop learning. All best, Deborah Collins

Thank You!

Ford Foundation | Making an Impact: The Administrative Professional’s Strategic Toolkit

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