Daily News

Two Consultants Chosen to Lead Women’s Leadership Institute

SPRINGFIELD — The Women’s Fund of Western Massachusetts (WFWM) announced that Carla Oleska, former WFWM 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 ninth cohort of LIPPI, which begins in September.

“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,” said current CEO Donna Haghighat.

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 LIPPI partner Bay Path University, and collecting and analyzing student and alumnae data.

“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,” said Oleska, who will also serve as the Bay Path academic instructor for the course.

The LIPPI program, launched in 2009, has trained more than 250 women in Massachusetts in a non-partisan initiative to provide women with the tools, mentors, and confidence needed to become the 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 11 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 Bay Path University for an additional fee.

“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,” Hernandez said.

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.