ADVANCE: Montgomery Women's Leadership Digest

April 2023

A Message from Leadership

Welcome to the month of April!

This month, I wanted to shift our focus to something very important: personal mental awareness.

The months of February and March were tough months for me. I had several projects both at work and in my personal life that needed my immediate attention. In the past, I could resolve the conflicts by summoning my inner superwoman, however, this time it proved to be challenging. I learned very quickly that instead of playing superwoman, I needed to ask for help and know it was okay. My help came in the form of colleagues and friends that stepped up to ensure project deadlines were met and that mentally, I was okay.

In addition, I took some time off to allow myself to breathe and heal. Sometimes, we do not realize what stress can do to our minds and physically what it does to our bodies. Healing for me consisted of doing NOTHING. My body heals when I allow it to have a break, which means having that one day where I am not adhering to schedules or placed under time crunches. For that period, I do what my body feels like doing.

Mental health checks are things we should be doing regularly as mental health is very important. It affects how we feel, act, and think. In addition, it determines how we will handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.

So, what am I asking of each of you? In the midst of handling our day-to-day activities, make time for yourselves and do not feel guilty about it. If you begin to feel overwhelmed, do not feel bad if you need to tap out for a few minutes or even a few days. You do not have to take a vacation; it can be a "staycation". The vacations I have enjoyed the best are the ones where I stay in the comfort of my home.

Finally, do not forget to check on your friends and family. We never know what someone is going through. Sometimes a phone call or even a text to check in, lets one know that you care. If there is someone you should have checked on and did not, do it now.

Be safe,

Ijeoma

Vice President, Montgomery Women

Member Spotlights

Diane Fink

Executive Director,

Emerge Maryland

Diane is the Executive Director of Emerge Maryland. She joined the founding organizing committee in September 2011 and in March of 2012 she was hired as the Executive Director. Since then, Emerge Maryland has become the fastest growing organization dedicated to helping women attain public office in the state.

Diane is a member of the Western Maryland Democratic Caucus, a Board member of the Frederick Community Action Agency, and Secretary of the Board of the Friends for Neighborhood Progress in Frederick. She is also a member of the National Community Action Foundation. Diane began working for local political campaigns in 2001. She has worked at all levels from canvasser to manager, field operations director to consultant on federal, state, and local races.

Peter Fosselman

Director, Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services (B-CC RS)

Peter has over 30 years of experience in the business, private, and public sectors with an education in Urban Studies and Landscape Design. He was in the first class of fellows with the Rose Center in cooperation with the Urban Land Institute. Currently, Peter is the B-CC RS Director appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County Council. He is responsible for strengthening communication between the community and County agencies; coordinating interagency action; and recommending policies and programs to benefit the local community within the B-CC RS area. Pete has served on the advisory boards for the Maryland Democratic Business Council, Future Link, Black Rock Arts Center, and is a founding member of the MoCo Pride Center.

Quick Tips

For the Everyday Leader

"Leadership is a series of behaviors rather than a role for heroes."

-- Margaret Wheatley

Empathy has always been a critical skill for leaders, but since the COVID-19 pandemic, it has taken on a new level of meaning and priority. Leaders can demonstrate empathy in two ways.

First, they can consider someone else’s thoughts through cognitive empathy (“If I were in their position, what would I be thinking right now?”).

Leaders can also focus on a person’s feelings using emotional empathy (“Being in their position would make me feel ___”).

Leaders will be most successful not just when they personally consider others, but when they express their concerns and inquire about challenges directly, and then listen to employees’ responses.

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Key Updates

Save the Date: Montgomery Women Annual Meeting

Montgomery Women will hold its Annual Meeting on June 4th from 3:00 - 5:00 PM. During this time, we will reflect on the past year's accomplishments and discuss our plans for the future. We hope to see all members in attendance. Formal invitation forthcoming.

Congratulations to our honored members

Throughout the month of March, Women's History Month, the Montgomery County Commission for Women and Montgomery Women recognized outstanding women in the county who are making significant contributions to their vocation and to the community through the annual "Women Making History" campaign and award ceremony. Congratulations to our current members who were among this year's honorees: Larissa Johnson, Alison Jovanovic, Althea Lloyd-White, Jane Lyons-Raeder and Jeni Stepanek.