LEADING LADY
BUILDING LEADERSHIP THROUGH COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS “Business professionals are working in the field on a daily basis and in tune with the latest trends. Allowing businesses to inform the curriculum helps us educate our students in ways that are most relevant to industry,” Kahl said. Kahl also oversees the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI), which offers activities, resources and programming for leaders of all ages and backgrounds. Keystone events include the community Voices of Leadership (VOL) event, the Summer Leadership Academy for highschool girls, and the Visiting Fellows Program (VFP) in partnership with the Council of Independent Colleges.
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ount Mary’s vision is to educate women to transform the world in partnership with local, national and global organizations. And Anne Kahl, executive director of the Leadership Institute and corporate partnerships, plays an important role in fulfilling that vision.
The themes of the WLI programming are integrated into many curriuculums, and Kahl works with faculty and staff to bring WLI into the classroom. She also orchestrates the student-facing WLI events, which often include several days of networking with the guest speakers and industry experts featured at VOL and VFP.
Kahl joined Mount Mary seven years ago as the director of corporate & foundation relations, and her primary focus was relationship development with foundations and corporations for fundraising purposes. Today, corporate relations has expanded to include connecting Mount Mary’s academic programs with business industry experts and other learning opportunities for students, such as internships, research projects and mentorships.
A key trait of a great leader is the ability to be flexible and change when needed, and Kahl had to quickly restructure this year’s WLI programming from in-person to virtual in the midst of COVID-19. The events were still engaging and successful, based on the positive feedback from the participants. One of them wrote:
These ongoing partnerships, which continue to grow thanks to Kahl’s leadership and expertise, create unique opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience with the changing market and better equip them with the skills they need to succeed in their chosen fields after graduation.
“I have gained many different leadership skills. I feel a lot more confident about the steps I need to take to succeed in and after high school. The sessions I
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