Leadership Greater Hartford Programs

What our graduates say about their experience

My LGH experience helped me be a better leader by exposing me to community issues, concerns, approaches and colleagues.  It enhanced my experience dealing with diverse groups of thinkers and personalities.

Beth Gerundo, AVP and Portfolio Manager, Quality Assurance Services, Hartford Technology Services Company

 

When I signed up for Quest, my primary goal was to get to know people with different characteristics than my regular associates.  I got that and a whole lot more – I acquired new leadership skills, discovered leadership skills I didn’t know I had, and had the satisfaction of working on a great team project that brought everyone’s leadership qualities to the fore. Not a week has gone by since then that I have not had opportunities to put those skills to work both in my professional life and in volunteer service.

Timothy Cole, Ph.D., West Wind Consulting

 

I found the whole year-long experience to be extremely valuable.  My job involves constant interaction with many different outside firms, and the leadership skills learned in Quest helped me understand how to work better with and through other people to accomplish the required objectives.  Figuring out how to lead when appropriate, how to compromise when appropriate, and how to take a back seat and open up to other ideas when appropriate, all for the purpose of accomplishing the bigger group objectives, has been an invaluable learning experience that can be applied to many aspects of life.  In addition, LGH opened up my eyes to many aspects of the Hartford community I had not experienced before.  I highly recommend this program – a positive experience that will truly last a lifetime.

David M. Romano, Vice President - Asset Manager, Cornerstone Real Estate Advisers LLC

 

The Quest program enabled me to become more aware of my own skills, to use them to lead others in a more efficient and mindful way, and to work with diverse groups to achieve an end result.  My work requires collaboration between volunteers, nonprofit agencies, companies and community leaders.  It can be a daunting task to bring all of those entities together to achieve a common goal.  LGH showed me how to work with diverse personalities to bring about lasting change.

Kimberley Russo, Assistant Director, Community Investment, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut

 

LGH helped me to understand team dynamics, an important part of my work as a member of a senior management cabinet, to think strategically, and to identify the steps necessary to work through a project from conception to completion.  In addition, LGH helped me to make important connections, to learn more about Hartford’s diversity and challenges, and to be more involved in the community.

Suzanne Heise, Vice President for Development and Communications, Oak Hill

 

The time spent with my LGH class prepared me for board interactions at work and in the community.  It gave me the confidence to contribute my skills to the Connecticut Colleges Purchasing Group, where I served as Co-chair and Treasurer, and to be board chair of Interval House, a shelter for women and children.  The teambuilding and project-planning in our LGH class has had beneficial effects on all of us as we continue to "pay it forward."

Rose Lezak, Director of Administration, Hartford Seminary

 

The Quest program helped me to reach outside of my comfort zone.  It was a great opportunity to try new approaches to solving problems and learn about group dynamics outside of my regular work.

Jennifer Gifford, Director, Planning and Assessment, United Way of Central and Northeastern Connecticut

 

LGH helped me recognize and celebrate peoples’ differences and focus on their strengths to achieve deliverables. It opened the door to many contacts, allowed me to form friendships, to volunteer on other boards, and to gain hands-on experiences working with different organizations.

Richard Brown, Interim President and CEO, Urban League of Greater Hartford, Inc.

 

Activities and classes provided by LGH gave me insight into my leadership strengths and let me try new leadership skills in group activities.  Friendships formed during LGH provided personal and professional ties that enrich my career experiences.

Melinda Smolkin, Vice President of External Relations, Community Mental Health
Affiliates, Inc.

 

LGH helped me accept my real strength was not having all the answers, but being a facilitative leader able to bring out the capabilities of others.  LGH inspired me to return to grad school and obtain my Master’s degree from Harvard’s Kennedy School – a place I would not have felt I belonged without the LGH experience. Since then, my strong sense of community building has allowed me to evolve professionally in local government and non-profit organizations and to serve on non-profit boards.

Bob Bailey, Director of Human Resources and Administration, Evelyn & Walter Haas, Jr. Fund

 

LGH’s Quest program gave me a diverse networking group that still benefits me today.  The workshops providing during Quest let me feel comfortable sharing my ideas, listening to others’ ideas and coming up with the best solution.  At the same time, I obtained leadership skills that will enhance my career.

Aura Alvarado, Director of Community Relations & Special Projects, Capitol Region Education Council

 

Leadership Greater Hartford was a life-changer for me. As a relative newcomer to the community, living in the suburbs and focused mostly on business, I lacked a sense of connection – to community issues, to leaders addressing them, to like-minded people outside my microcosm.  LGH introduced me to the needs of the day, passionate advocates, and the skills and networks needed to make a difference. Those lessons have since helped me grow businesses, serve my community and enrich my life.

Bruce Hetrick, Chairman and CEO, Hetrick Communications

 

As a member of the Steering Committee that created the concept of Leadership Greater Hartford when I was first on the West Hartford Town Council, and as a member of the first class of LGH, my participation helped confirm the importance of the City as the center of life in the Greater Hartford community. Through all the sometimes difficult years since, LGH has educated and trained men and women from the City, the surrounding suburbs, and area corporations, businesses and professions, to maintain a focus not only on Hartford's needs, but also on how Hartford enriches all of our lives.

Nan L. Glass

 

LGH helped me to understand different points of view, from people in different walks of life.  I loved the experience of working with other people to envision, design and complete a project.  The information I learned about mission and goals of nonprofits in Greater Hartford helped me professionally.  It was a great learning experience.

Susan B. Clemow, Managing Partner, Clemow Consulting Group, LLP

 

My participation in Leadership Greater Hartford helped me become a better leader by exposing me to a variety of people with diverse backgrounds and leadership styles.  It gave me more self-awareness and team building skills.  I participated in LGH when I was transitioning from partner in a law firm to in-house counsel at a very large insurance company, and the LGH experience made me think about leadership differently.   I believe this has been a key factor in my career progression, because I started as an individual contributor and am now a member of the senior leadership team of my division.  LGH also taught me leadership is not just something you bring to your career, but something that can make an impact in the community.  Since participating in LGH, I've served on numerous boards.

Dana Shaw MacKinnon, Vice President & Chief Compliance Officer, Group Benefits Division, The Hartford