Kristin Leutz
Kristin Leutz: 37
Vice President of Philanthropic Services, the Community Foundation of Western Mass.; Founder and Owner, Home Yoga
Kristin Leutz is a certified Kripalu yoga instructor who practices its tenets on and off the mat, using her talents to serve others and make the world a better place.
“Women and wellness are my passion; I focus all of my philanthrophic and volunteer time on them,” she said. “The health of women is key in making a community thrive, and I believe there is an inherent connection between them.”
Since women do the majority of caretaking for children and families, it’s critical for them to also care for themselves, Leutz says, because what they do has a ripple effect on the community, which eventually extends to the world at large. “So I focus on supporting women, health, and wellness in any way I can.”
To that end, Leutz is a board member of the Unitarian Universalist Society of Amherst, and was an advisory board member for Fit Together of Hadley. She is a pro-bono advisor for the Women’s Fund and a volunteer for Motherwoman, the Women’s Leadership and Policy Institute, and the White House Project.
She was the recipient of a MassMutual Financial Group Human Resources Excellence Award, is a certified conflict mediator, and created a highly successful job-share team at the Community Foundation, which is responsible for a $7 million annual fund-raising program. In her capacity there, Leutz and her team help people provide funds to charitable organizations in the Pioneer Valley.
The ability to share a job allows her to operate her business, Home Yoga, and teach the discipline to individuals in their homes as well as at local businesses.
It’s that balance that allows Leutz to succeed on and off the job. The mother of two is frequently asked to speak at professional conferences, and uses her background in organizational development and psychology to inspire others.
“The work that I do,” she said, “helps me meet my responsibility as a citizen of the world.”—Kathleen Mitchell
