Women in Leadership
The Coro Women in Leadership (WIL) Program supports the leadership development of women, establishing a pipeline for professional advancement, and creating a cross-sector network of women who support each other’s leadership development. The time is now for women to harness their unique abilities, approaching professional goals and challenges head on with Coro’s leadership toolkit at their helm.
The Coro Women in Leadership Program brings together a cohort of mid-career women of diverse backgrounds from the private, nonprofit, and government sectors for intensive leadership development seminars, civic issue exploration through a gender lens and post-fellowship networking. Running across five, two-day sessions WIL focuses on enhancing leadership abilities, deepening professional networks, building strategic relationships, peer coaching, developing professional narratives, and enhancing participants’ ability to affect positive change at work, at home, and in their communities.
Coro Southern California will facilitate two cohorts in Spring 2022: An in-person cohort for women who live and work in Los Angeles County, and a virtual program open to applicants from across the country. Both cohorts include 60+ hours of leadership development training, individual and small group coaching, and access to Coro alumni and cross-program events.
Women in Leadership – In-person:
Program Dates – Friday & Saturday
10 AM – 4 PM PST
March 18-19
April 15-16
May 6-7
June 3-4
June 17-18
Women in Leadership – Virtual:
Program Dates – Thursday & Friday
10 AM – 4 PM PST
March 10-11
April 7-8
April 28-29
May 19-20
June 9-10
The program includes:
- Personal reflection leadership sessions
- Coro’s signature training centered on thinking critically and politically, communicating effectively, moving teams, organizations, and communities forward, and building strategic and authentic professional relationships
- Small group peer coaching sessions
- Inter-session assignments designed for deepened learning and tool application
- Unparalleled access to interview the region’s top women leaders from across sectors
- Weekly optional civic engagement and personal reflection activities
- Ongoing Coro networking events (WIL-Wide Virtual Gatherings and Fellows Selection Day)
- Graduation Celebration
Coupling the highly-successful Coro leadership model with inquiry-based learning from respected, multi-sector, women leaders, WIL provides rising and established women talent with the skills, the knowledge, and the network to meet their professional goals and deepen their leadership impact.
As a result of participation, WIL cohort members will:
- have the opportunity to examine their own beliefs, understand how they arrived at them, and be challenged to question or reaffirm those beliefs.
- skillfully, actively and innovatively analyze, evaluate and synthesize information to design informed solutions.
- navigate through multiple forms of communication, utilizing knowledge, trust, context, and purpose to influence change.
- creatively and thoughtfully build and bridge sustained partnerships to solve challenges.
- discern between effective management and impactful leadership and examine the connection between the two.
- acquire the knowledge, intellectual skills and applied competencies to sustain reflective and effective leadership.
And will be able to…
- recognize personal strengths, weaknesses, and blind spots.
- ground actions in an awareness of beliefs.
- function effectively in the face of uncertainties.
- navigate complex situations and organizations.
- negotiate and communicate persuasively.
- accurately identify and evaluate problems utilizing effective inquiry.
- analyze challenges through an understanding of patterns, power relationships, systems, and self.
- empower team members and stakeholders to arrive at decisions.
- Explore the role and impact gender has on the civic issues affecting our society
The Coro Women in Leadership Program is for women who:
- are committed to deepening their leadership capacity through Coro’s proven methodology
- are looking to expand their professional and personal networks
- are rising or established decision makers, managers and/or influencers at their respective organizations
- have a minimum of 7 years of work experience
As a reflection of public life, Women in Leadership cohorts are a diverse group of women who come from the private, public, and nonprofit sectors. Applicants should be prepared for an immersive, group-structured experience in personal reflection for leadership growth.
Tuition for the virtual cohort is $3,000 and $3,500 for the in-person cohort, which also includes lunch and refreshments for each session. Payment in full (or agreement with Coro on a specific payment plan) is required before the start of the program. Partial, need-based scholarships are available. Participants are encouraged to seek their employer’s or other sponsor’s support for the program. Please contact us for information and guidance in seeking employer or sponsor support.
Thank you to our Supporters
John B Withers, Coro Fellow LA 79, Partner California Strategies, LLC
Women of Coro
Advisory Committee Los Angeles Members
Abbe Land
Executive Director, Los Angeles County Women and Girls Initiative
Aileen Adams
Former Deputy Mayor, Office of Strategic Partnerships of the City of Los Angeles
Amanda Daflos
Director – Innovation team, Los Angeles Mayor’s Office of Budget and Innovation
Ana Guerrero
Chief of staff, Los Angeles Mayor’s Office
Billie Greer
Public Policy Advisor, Billie Greer Consulting
Capri Maddox
Senior Executive Director, Partnerships, Los Angeles Unified School District
Carol Liu
Former Senator, California State Senate
Christine Essel
President and Chief Executive Officer, Southern California Grantmakers
Cristina Rose
President and CEO, Rose Policy Solutions
Holly Mitchell
Senator, California State Senate
Jessica Lall
Chief Executive Officer, Central City Association
Joanne Kozberg
Partner, California Strategies, LLC
Kellie Hawkins
Senior Vice President, Englander Knabe & Allen
Lindsey Horvath
Councilmember, City of West Hollywood
Lori Bettison-Varga
President and Director, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles
Lupita Sanchez Cornejo
Regional Director, External Affairs – Greater Los Angeles Region, AT&T
Naomi Seligman
Co-Founder and President, Tower26
Robin Kramer
Managing Director, Smidt Foundation
Suzy Jack
VP, Public Affairs and Events, Los Angeles Times
Torie Osborn
Senior Strategist, Office of Supervisor Kuehl
Wendy Garen
President and CEO, The Ralph M Parsons Foundation
Wendy Greuel
Former Controller & Councilwoman, City of Los Angeles
Advisory Committee Orange County Members
Andrea Marr
Council Member, City of Costa Mesa
Caroline Djang
Partner, Best Best & Krieger LLP
Carolyn Emery
Executive Officer, Orange County LAFCO
Christine Compton
Government Relations Officer/Deputy General Counsel, Irvine Ranch Water District
Colleen Clark
Public Finance, Director County of Orange, retired
Courtney Wiercioch
Assistant Airport Director, John Wayne Airport, retired
Eileen Padberg
Founder, Eileen Padberg Consulting
Greg Hulsizer
Toll Market Practice Leader, HNTB
Iain Padley
Director of Data and Innovation, Leadership for Educational Equity
Jared Mathis
CEO, The Moulton Company
Jeanne Spinner LaMar
Owner, Spinner LaMar and Associates
Jerri Rosen
CEO and Founder, Working Wardrobes
Dr. Jerry Hunter
Distinguished Lecturer College of Education, California State University, Fullerton
John Withers
Partner, California Strategies LLC
Joone Lopez
General Manager, Moulton Niguel Water District
Karen Caplan
Co-Owner, President, and CEO, Frieda’s Specialty Produce
Kathryn Domin
Partner, Rutan & Tucker, LLP
Kris Thalman
President, K.E. Thalman & Associates
Martha Fluor
Trustee, Newport Mesa Unified School District
Melahat Rafiei
Principal, Progressive Solutions Consulting
Michele Martinez
Emeritus Mayor Pro Tem / Director of Community and Strategic Planning Development for Primestor Development, Inc.
Patty Senecal
Director, Southern California Region Western States Petroleum Association
Sarah Catz
Attorney, Government Relations, and Strategic Planning Consultant
Dr. Sheryl A. Bourgeois
Executive Vice President, University Advancement, Chapman University
Leadership Circle
Lauren Chang
Senior Land Use Associate Attorney, Sheppard Mullin Richter & Hampton LLP
Aretta Frazier
Development Manager, LA’s BEST Afterschool Enrichment Program
Katherine Fuentes
Assistant City Manager, City of Pico Rivera
Laura Gaboudian
Author & Educational Consultant
Angelina Gonzalez
Sr. Contracts and Grants Manager, UCLA
Carleen Gonzalez
Security Administration Coordinator, Port of Long Beach, Security Division
Ann Isbell
Program Officer, First 5 LA
Erin Jackson-Ward
Director, Community Benefit Giving, Cedars-Sinai
Vicki Klopsch
Executive Director, Laspa Center for Leadership, Scripps College
Erin Lanahan
Principal Consultant, Accordant
Asha Lang
Strategic Philanthropy Program Manager, The Walt Disney Company
Sajji Lazarus
CEO, Panthera Collective
Melissa Lee
Director of Planning & Community Engagement, Concordia
Tiffany Mayberry
Strategist and Consultant, Turn the Other Chic, Inc.
Maria Melo
Policy and Operations Manager, Los Angeles LGBT Center
Claudia Oliveira
Elected Official, DLANC
Amanda Parsons DeRosier
Senior Vice President, Elevate Public Affairs
Lorena Sanchez
Chief Development and Communication Officer, Downtown Women’s Center
Siari Sosa
M&E team leader, SoCalGas
Amy Turk
CEO, Downtown Women’s Center
Application
The application period for the Women in Leadership Fall cohorts has closed.
Interest Form
Click here to complete an Interest Form and learn more about Women in Leadership.
Nominate
Know someone who would be great for Coro Women in Leadership?
Virtual Information Session
Sign up here to register for a virtual information session followed by a Q&A on July 20 4pm-5pm PST.
Meet the Current Class
Learn more about current WIL cohorts: Women in Leadership Cohort 5 and Women in Leadership Cohort 5: Southern California
Brochure
View the brochure or download to pass on to a friend.
Program Benefits
Seeking employer assistance or fundraising? Download this guide on the benefits they will receive by supporting your participation in Women in Leadership.
Questions? Contact:
Callie Spaide
Recruitment, & Alumni Relations Manager
callie@corola.org
(213) 267-6497
