Anna Borgerding, PMP
Director, Operational Excellence and Sustainability, Facilities and Operations, University of Maryland, Baltimore
Scholarship: Professional Leadership Program for Women

Leadership by definition is the action of leading a group of people or an organization. Although leadership is hard to quantify, it’s often measured by the presence of many traits such as integrity, accountability, and gravitas. Up until 2019, I had operated under the notion that if I worked hard and did everything that was asked of me, I’d be recognized for my leadership skills and then opportunities that I valued would become available. As naïve as this approach was, it worked for the first decade of my career. I was promoted and provided opportunities to grow, but not necessarily in areas that correlated strongly with my core values.

Attending the Professional Leadership Program for Women at Towson University was a pivotal paradigm shift in my career development. The program provided a great foundation to think about how to align my core values, talents, and desires with opportunities, as opposed to thinking about how to round out my talents to fit a certain leadership model. Since I was a little girl, I was socialized to be a “well rounded” leader: to master all things or try to. This type of thinking leads us to keep looking for our deficits instead of uplifting our strengths and capitalizing on them.

The program incorporated a refreshing viewpoint — I was complete as a leader. It encouraged me to use that perspective to think about what I truly wanted to accomplish — to question my current career progress, to challenge what I thought I knew about leadership, and to give myself permission to ask for the opportunities I am seeking. Too many women go through their careers on autopilot, accepting the current situation because of a variety of factors that deal with comfort and achievable “challenges.”

Throughout the program, each speaker and panel resonated profoundly with me and challenged me to take a personal inventory of my unique skills and ask what opportunities I want as opposed to being presented with an opportunity and saying yes. I learned that opportunities that I want do exist if I continue to ask for them and communicate to different individuals my goals.

This experience was highly valuable and transformational in the way I view my professional journey and how I support others in theirs. I’m truly grateful for this opportunity and hope to be able to pay it forward to other women at the University. 

Chanelle Hutchinson
Scholarship: National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL)

Attending the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) was truly eye-opening. As I stepped foot onto the College Park campus for the first time, I did not know what to expect. I was immediately greeted by a young undergrad student who simply wanted to be my friend. Her energy echo across the conference filled with over 800 ambitious women who aspired for greatness. For the next four days, we would all be together learning to think like leaders, be change makers for gender equity, and own our personal identities. Our schedules were filled with workshops and panel sessions focused on a variety of professional development, empowerment objectives, and women’s issues. My favorite topics were salary negotiation and self-care. NCCWSL also invited inspirational women from different fields to speak to us about their life, struggles, and success. I was more than excited to actually meet Lauren Simmons, in the flesh!

As the end of the conference drew closer, I realized how much I had learned and experienced. Along with meeting students, faculty, and other professionals, I also formed a close bond with a small group of women whom I shared so much of my time and thoughts. Saying good-bye to them turned into a bitter-sweet moment. We attended workshops together, explored DC, and hung out at our dormitory sharing what we individually learned and who we met. We shared our life stories and dreams. NCCWSL is one for the history books, as I will look back on this time in the future remembering each step of how I (will) accomplish my goals for change in society.

Brittany Lewis
Scholarship: National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL)

My experience at the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders was a once in a lifetime opportunity. I enjoyed meeting so many young women who looked like me and had similar dreams and visions to lead. The panel topics were invigorating and unlike any other conference panels that I have attended in the past. Some of my favorite topics were "Bridging the Divide: Navigating Relationships between White Women and Women of Color," "The Campaign Trail and Elections," and "Working in Washington." All of these panels helped me prepare as I plan to one day run for office and/or continue my work as a Legislative Social Worker. I am very grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference and especially grateful for the scholarship that allowed me to attend. Without the scholarship, I would have never been able to have this amazing experience!

Chanise Reese-Queen
Scholarship: ACUI Women's Leadership Institute

The ACUI Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) was AMAZING! I am so inspired and more confident as a leader than ever. I’m so grateful to the UMBrella Group for providing me with the opportunity to attend WLI 2019. The sessions were impactful, and the speakers were phenomenal. As I reviewed my notes and pondered the insightful information delivered by the various WLI speakers, three key takeaways stood out; Education is the great equalizer, Build a circle of women and Ask for what I want.

One of the keynote speakers, Dr. Colette Pierce Burnette, president and chief executive officer of Huston-Tillotson University, stated, “Education is the great equalizer.” This resonated with me because I’m passionate about education and lifelong learning. Then I started thinking about how to promote “education as the great equalizer” — how do I motivate and persuade people of color to go beyond secondary to postsecondary education, and how do I address the ethnic and racial disparities in education? These are tough questions. I will do my best to answer at least one of them moving forward.

During WLI, I met some awesome women from various backgrounds. I started thinking about my circle of women — I didn’t have one. Where was my sisterhood? Teri Bump, vice president at American Campus Communities, asked, “What will you do to help a sister out?” She shared that we needed more women sponsors and fewer mentors. Sponsors advocate and use their influence to elevate other women. After WLI, I reconnected with two individuals who were instrumental in my career development.

There is a proverb that talks about a person who wants friends must first show themselves friendly. I’m now showing myself friendly, reaching out, asking for advice from women I respect, and including them as part of my circle of women. Moreover, I’m open to opportunities where I can support and encourage women in achieving their educational and career goals, their business endeavors, and, most of all, their dreams.

Ask for what you want. I attended a session on “Know Your Worth … Then Add Tax.” It was about negotiating and asking for what you want. There have been times when I did not ask for what I wanted due to fear of rejection, past experiences, or not wanting to seem like I’m asking for too much. During this session, I learned strategies for negotiating and it was recommended to read the book Ask For It: How Women Can Use Negotiation to Get What They Really Want by Linda Babcock and Sara Laschever. I downloaded the book on my Kindle and started reading it on my way home from WLI. I could have used this book 10 years ago!

Other takeaways included giving myself permission to speak my truth and be extraordinary; being a disruptor; going back and doing the things I regret NOT doing (see YouTube video titled What Is Your Biggest Regret?); knowing what I value; and telling my story. I feel so empowered as a woman, a leader, and an educator. I had a wonderful experience.

Again, thank you, UMBrella, for this opportunity. It really feels great to be a part of an institution that supports women in leadership.

Nakiya Schurman
Scholarship: ACUI Women's Leadership Institute

I am so thankful to the UMBrella Group for selecting me to attend the Women’s Leadership Institute (WLI) sponsored by the Association of College Unions International (ACUI). It was invigorating to carve out a few days to reflect on my career path while having the opportunity to make connections with other higher education professionals from across the country.

Poised so close to the New Year when I already enjoy making professional and personal resolutions, WLI delivered perfectly on assisting with my goal-making. Indeed, conferences are designed to motivate, similar to New Year’s resolutions, and it was hard not to leave inspired. However, throughout the conference, the message was simple — do not let this conference be the end of this journey. It can be so easy to go back to work and get caught up in the busyness of it all and not truly reflect on what was learned, leaving session notes unread in a notebook.

One statement that I’ve been mulling over was from the session Women and Politics: Getting Noticed, Making an Impact, and Being Seen for Who You Are, Not Just What You Do. Dr. Sandra Miles said, “You need to stop assuming that your hard work will get you noticed, it’s YOU that needs to be the one to be noticed.” I love this thought, especially since it’s so common to think that if we do good work, we will eventually be handpicked for promotions. This thinking can be a detriment to one’s career. Instead, Dr. Miles said to be noticed you need to let people get to know you personally. Though it may be uncomfortable, invite “key players” to lunch to talk business so that you’re not just a name but someone they actually know.

Being vulnerable and putting oneself out there is important. Many of the presenters made the distinction between a mentor, who helps develop you as a professional, and a sponsor, who can help guide positive conversations about you when you’re not in the room. A sponsor can only guide the conversation about you if they know your work, know you, and trust you. This comes from conversations and relationships.

So where do I go from here? I need to ensure that I carve out time to think about what I’ve learned from the conference and how to put it into practice. Creating a vision for my professional future and the goals to achieve that vision is a first step. I also need to identify a sponsor and nurture that relationship organically and authentically. Once a month I need to schedule time in my Outlook calendar to check in on my goals, knowing that it is easy to forgo this in order to read or write one more email.

As Teri Bump said in the session Can You See Me Now? Becoming Visible: Your Executive Presence & Being Sponsor Ready, “You don’t get the career you want, you get the one you build,” but building things can take time and it’s not something that I should leave to chance or to other people. Through WLI, the UMBrella Group gave me a golden opportunity to think about myself and my career, and now it’s time for me to actualize all the promises and intentions I have set for myself.