Women of Color Leadership Circle

Women of Color Leadership Circle is sponsored by The Boston Foundation (run by Boston Women's Fund). The Women of Color Leadership Circle (WOCLC) is a six-month cohort program that supports women of color leaders in advancing their leadership journeys. It provides a safe space for belonging, fellowship, learning, self-care, and restoration.

Women of Color Leadership Circle - TBF As part of an ongoing effort to uplift the leadership and voices of women of color leaders in Greater Boston, we are pleased to recognize the 2021-2022 Anna Faith Jones & Frieda Garcia Women of Color Leadership Circle.

This program, originally conceived by Natanja Craig Oquendo of the Boston Women’s Fund, and Andrea Madu and Stephanie Guidry of the Boston Foundation, is inspired by two groundbreaking women of color leaders: Anna Faith Jones and Frieda Garcia. In the 1990s, they led the Boston Foundation as the CEO and Board Chair and were the first women of color to occupy those roles in our foundation’s history.

The Women of Color Leadership Circle is inspired by the close partnership, vision, friendship, and legacy of these two incredible leaders. We stand on the shoulders of giants and these trailblazing women have paved the way for women of color within our sector. The WOC Leadership Circle is a six-month cohort program that aims to support women of color leaders and advance their leadership journeys.

Through the program, up to 15 women of color leaders participate in six monthly facilitated sessions that are curated to be a safe space for belonging, fellowship, learning, unlearning, self-care, and restoration—a place where participants can share their challenges and frustrations and learn and grow from each other’s experiences.

The Women of Color Leadership Circle aims to: Deepen connections, nurture leaders and communities, and foster collaboration Provide leadership support and coaching that are responsive to the experiences of women of color leaders in the nonprofit sector Raise visibility of women of color leaders who are often overlooked Support women of color leaders to further develop their leadership and professional goals Create a safe space for fellowship, belonging, learning, and self-care Six monthly day-long sessions for women of color leaders to unleash their potential, learn new approaches through peer learning, and build strong relationships with one another.

Four hours of executive coaching for each participant by women of color coaches. Must identify as a woman* of color in a leadership position** at a nonprofit organization, coalition, or network within Greater Boston. Priority will be given to women of color leaders from organizations with budgets below $2 million; Priority will also be given to women of color leaders in organizations without a professional development budget.

Must be able to attend all six day-long sessions***: *We are committed to supporting communities and individuals historically excluded from institutional philanthropy – including, but not limited to LGBTQIA people, immigrants and refugees, and people with disabilities. As such, we strongly encourage applications from individuals who identify with these groups and/or other marginalized communities.

**We define “leadership position” as a role where an individual has decision-making power to establish and influence organizational strategy, vision, and direction, and manages staff/volunteers, budget in collaboration with a governance body. *** We hope to have in-person sessions in 2022, however, the January-March sessions will be remote in light of Omicron developments.

We are committed to ensuring the safety of program participants and will follow CDC guidelines. Applications are currently closed.

Read Talissa Lahaliyed and Natanja Craig Oquendo’s blogpost on WOCLC reflections and relaunch Read Andrea Madu's posts on the WOCLC launch and announcing the first cohort Charline Alexandre Joseph Director of Workforce Development Director of Boston Programs Center for Teen Empowerment Interim co-Executive Director/Director of Education and Family Engagement Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer The Learning Center for the Deaf Creatives of Color Boston Helen Y.

Davis Leadership Academy Sr. Director of Visual and Performing Arts Community Art Center, Inc. New England Innocence Project Director of Education and Training South Asian Workers’ Center Meet the 2021-2022 Women of Color Leadership Circle Charline Alexandre-Joseph Session 1: Creating Sacred Spaces and Relationships In this session, participants have an opportunity to form deep bonds of connection through storytelling and to create agreements and principles for developing and transforming their relationships through trust-building and a heart-centered mindset.

Session 2: Leadership Wisdom In this session, participants will explore ways to call forth and articulate what's driving their leadership and what they want to achieve in this lifetime. Session 3: Manifesting Support for Ourselves In this session, participants explore how to create a regenerative work environment that is supportive of their leadership and gifts.

They learn how to set healthy boundaries in their work and negotiate terms that support their leadership in areas such as salary, time off, benefits, and other needs. Session 4: Self Care and Healing Participants learn to prioritize their spiritual, mental, physical, and emotional health and growth.

They are introduced to various forms of inner awareness, self-care, and healing practices to create joy, peace, resiliency, and connection in their lives. Session 5: Harnessing Our Feminine Power Participants learn ways to find and honor their true identity and strengths as women, to transform their shame into power, and to firmly own their unique experiences and narrative unapologetically.

Session 6: Vision Stand/Celebration/Closing Space In this last session, participants explore their leadership visions going forward and support and celebrate their journey in the cohort together.

We envision the Women of Color Leadership Circle as a safe space for belonging, fellowship, learning, unlearning, self-care, and restoration, where participants can share their challenges and frustrations and learn and grow from each other’s experiences.

While the experiences of women of color differ across race, class, and gender identity, we believe leaders within the cohort can support each other to navigate the individual and collective challenges they may face. Through this program, we also hope to develop more effective ways to support women of color leaders within the nonprofit sector.

The program was designed by a team of brilliant women of color leaders who enjoy laughing, dancing, singing, and dreaming big : Andrea Madu, Kelly Bates, Aba Taylor, Talissa Lahaliyed, Fernanda Oliveira Costa, Evelyn Barahona, Trina Jackson, Suzanne Lee, Sheena Collier, Renata Teodoro, and Karla Nicholson .

Sessions are facilitated by Aba Taylor and Kelly Bates from Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC) and include both individual and team work, peer knowledge sharing, skills-building, and opportunities for joy and self-care. The program is funded by the Boston Foundation and the Angell Foundation .

Women of Color Leadership Circle “Each time a woman stands up for herself, without knowing it possibly, without claiming it, she stands up for all women.

” —Maya Angelou For the upcoming 2023 cohort and beyond, the Women of Color Leadership Circle (WOCLC) is run by the Boston Women's Fund with facilitation support from the Interaction Institute for Social Change, though it was originally conceived by Natanja Craig Oquendo, Executive Director of Boston Women’s Fund, and Andrea Madu and Stephanie Guidry of the Boston Foundation, with support from the Boston Foundation and the Angell Foundation.

To learn more, visit their website .

The 2020 Women of Color Leadership Circle Executive Director , Transgender Emergency Fund of Massachusetts Executive Director , Chinese Progressive Association Co-Founder/Program Director , Black Economic Justice Institute Executive Director , Boston Youth Wrestling Executive Director , Trinity Boston Connects Director , Massachusetts Voter Table Chief of Staff & Equity , uAspire Executive Director , Healthy Waltham Executive Director , Beat the Odds Founder/Executive Director , We Are Better Together: The Warren Daniel Hairston Project Executive Lead, Strategic Partners , GCODE Executive Director, Women Encouraging Empowerment President and CEO, United South End Settlements Director of Programs, Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center