ADVANCE: Montgomery Women's Leadership Digest

January 2024

A Message from Leadership

Dear members and friends of Montgomery Women,

On behalf of the Montgomery Women Board, I would like to extend a heartfelt happy new year to each one of you!

The journey into a new year is a key opportunity to release what hasn't served you, extract the lessons that are shaping who you aim to become, and make choices that propel you towards growth - however that may look for you.

Every holiday season, I travel home to Philadelphia and part of this trip always includes an annual slumber party with my best friend of 17 years (yes, we still do this at our big age and as mothers). We've made it a tradition to ask each other at some point in the night, "what is your word of the year?" Rather than setting resolutions that we'll likely break by February, we've opted for selecting words that set our intentions for the year. These words help us redirect our actions throughout the year when we inevitably get off track and provide a touchstone to come back to when feeling lost or overwhelmed.

My word for 2023 was "rise." I even posted it above my bathroom sink (pictured to the right) as a reminder to myself when getting ready each day. When I chose that word in December 2022, I was transitioning from being a mother of an infant to the mother of a toddler, work was ramping up, and I felt like I was operating from a place of survival far too often. "Rise" symbolized the act of overcoming; seeing my way out of the hardships by persisting through and remembering to show myself grace in the process.

This year, I chose "balance" with the goal of achieving a state of harmony in various aspects of life - work, home, health, relationships - without allowing any single aspect to dominate at the expense of the others.

So, how do you choose a word of the year? Here's some key questions I consider:

What did I enjoy about my previous year?
What do I wish I had done more of?
Who do I want to be in one year from now?
What personal attributes do I want to nurture?
What is most important to me in this season?

Once you’ve sat in these questions and truly pondered your answers, begin thinking about some words that are encouraging and what you want to cultivate more of in your life. For example, if you’re struggling with anxiety, pick a word with uplifting connotations like “release,” “peace,” or “calm.”

If you end up choosing a word of the year, I hope you'll share it with me at our upcoming New Year Party! Until then, my wish for you is that this new year brings you closer to the person you want to be and the life you want to live.

Cheers,

Althea Lloyd-White

Corresponding Secretary & Communications Chair

Montgomery Women

Member Spotlights

Roxana Beyranvand

Senior Program Manager,

City of Baltimore

Roxana is the Senior Program Manager for the Innovation Team (i-team) within the Mayor’s Office of Performance and Innovation (OPI), which she joined in 2019. She is responsible for steering the i-team forward to support key Mayoral priorities. As a Multicultural Communications Specialist, prior to joining the team, Roxana devoted nearly a decade of Strategic Communications and Public Involvement work for transportation planning projects and programs including the Maryland Department of Transportation State Highway Administration’s I-495/ I-270 P3 Program, Baltimore Collegetown Network’s Shuttle Program, and the Maryland Transit Administration’s Baltimore Red Line Project. While supporting local and statewide transportation projects is very important to Roxana, she is enthusiastic to return to Baltimore to help make a contribution to the lives of Baltimoreans and support City initiatives.

JaLynn Prince

President & Chair, Madison House Autism Foundation

JaLynn is the Founder, President and Board Chair of Madison House Autism Foundation (MHAF), one of the first and only organizations in this country working exclusively on the issues facing adults on the autism spectrum. In that role, she works on nationwide topics of housing, employment, education, awareness, medical services, safety, concerns involving individuals on the spectrum, and matters confronting family members dealing with autism. Prior to the creation of MHAF, JaLynn worked in broadcasting, management consulting, as a press secretary on Capitol Hill, public relations, community development, and as an arts administrator. She is also a global photographer, which has taken her around the world, documenting challenges of underserved communities. These experiences helped shape her desire to step forward to help her adult son who is on the autism spectrum and the hundreds of thousands of underserved adults like him here at home.

Quick Tips

For the Everyday Leader

As we step into the new year, leaders across industries are beginning to set sights on new objectives, reflecting on past achievements and lessons learned. Planning for the new year is not just about setting goals; it’s about creating a visionary roadmap that aligns with your personal and organizational growth. There’s no time like the present to become the leader you’ve always wanted to be. While setting your vision at the beginning of a new year may seem like a hollow tradition for many people, it can be a powerful tool for moving forward into new horizons. Here are some useful tips for setting yourself and your team up for success in 2024.

Have a leadership tip or resource you want to share? Click below.

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Key Updates

Reflect & Renew: Ways to Support the Organization

In true new year fashion, we're challenging our members to fully embrace this season of reflection and renewal through two acts that directly support Montgomery Women's mission:

(1) Reflect on your experience: To ensure we meet your needs and expectations, we kindly request your input through our Annual Membership Survey. Your feedback is invaluable in guiding our plans and initiatives for the new year. Thank you in advance for sharing your thoughts with us!

(2) Renew your membership: Each member of Montgomery Women will receive email reminders to renew their membership prior to the one year anniversary date of their current membership period. If your membership expires, you will receive an email informing you of this status and instructions for reinstating your membership. Keep an eye on your inbox for these important emails or simply renew on our website at any time.