When an organization has a large and powerful mission and a growing team that is located across an entire country, how does it achieve alignment and make sure everyone is on the same page? How does an organization prevent the rise of lone rangers who will pursue their own agendas at the expense of the organization? At the end of the series, I’ll share my thoughts. As you listen to the episode, take note of what these four leaders have in common! 

The Greenlight Fund

Ryan Turner of Baltimore MD

Tish Johnson-Jones of Newark, NJ

Simone Hardeman-Jones of the Twin Cities

Felicia Rinier of Philadelphia, PA 

While some women allow their fears and insecurities to discourage them from pursuing challenging roles, Dr. Laurel Harry did not and is Pennsylvania’s newest Secretary of Corrections. From her first position with the PA DOC to her current post, her career path demonstrates her commitment to people. She takes seriously her duty to improve the lives, outcomes, and experiences for the people under her charge, no matter which side of the wall they’re on.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-harry-3b1b55281 
https://www.cor.pa.gov/Pages/Secretary%20of%20Corrections.aspx

While some women allow their fears and insecurities to discourage them from pursuing challenging roles, Dr. Laurel Harry did not and is Pennsylvania’s newest Secretary of Corrections. From her first position with the PA DOC to her current post, her career path demonstrates her commitment to people. She takes seriously her duty to improve the lives, outcomes, and experiences for the people under her charge, no matter which side of the wall they’re on.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurel-harry-3b1b55281 
https://www.cor.pa.gov/Pages/Secretary%20of%20Corrections.aspx

Can you imagine what you would be like if you’d spent the last 40 years of your life and career as a jail warden? What about being a female warden for 40 years in a very Republican town when you’re a liberal in a very liberal state? You probably can’t imagine, and neither could we! After spending a little over a year as a retiree, Sandy Mueller, invited us into her home to share how she went from studying psychology and dance in college and wound up working her way into the warden’s office. Simultaneously, she is everything you expect and everything you don’t: candid, politically savvy, confident, and a proud potty mouth.

https://correctionalnews.com/2015/01/28/sandra-mueller/

https://www.app.com/story/news/local/ocean-county/2021/12/09/ocean-county-nj-jail-warden-retire-dec-31/6443796001/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-mueller-40787ab5/

Can you imagine what you would be like if you’d spent the last 40 years of your life and career as a jail warden? What about being a female warden for 40 years in a very Republican town when you’re a liberal in a very liberal state? You probably can’t imagine, and neither could we! After spending a little over a year as a retiree, Sandy Mueller, invited us into her home to share how she went from studying psychology and dance in college and wound up working her way into the warden’s office. Simultaneously, she is everything you expect and everything you don’t: candid, politically savvy, confident, and a proud potty mouth.

https://correctionalnews.com/2015/01/28/sandra-mueller/ 

https://www.app.com/story/news/local/ocean-county/2021/12/09/ocean-county-nj-jail-warden-retire-dec-31/6443796001/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandra-mueller-40787ab5/

If you were blindfolded and eavesdropping on a conversation among a jail warden, a social worker, and a chaplain, do you think you could tell which speaker was the jail warden? If Warden Karen Taylor was one of the speakers, I don’t think you could. Warden Taylor is a career corrections professional with more than 26 years of experience, and she is focused on corrections rather than punishment. Her efforts to address the root causes of recidivism has set her on a path to figuring out how to make sure that people who are jailed in her county get what they need so that they don’t come back. As you listen to this leadership drive, you’ll hear why leaders from the Biden Administration and White House wanted to know so badly what she’s doing and how that they paid her a visit.  

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-taylor-58931a41/

If you were blindfolded and eavesdropping on a conversation among a jail warden, a social worker, and a chaplain, do you think you could tell which speaker was the jail warden? If Warden Karen Taylor was one of the speakers, I don’t think you could. Warden Taylor is a career corrections professional with more than 26 years of experience, and she is focused on corrections rather than punishment. Her efforts to address the root causes of recidivism has set her on a path to figuring out how to make sure that people who are jailed in her county get what they need so that they don’t come back. As you listen to this leadership drive, you’ll hear why leaders from the Biden Administration and White House wanted to know so badly what she’s doing and how she's doing it that they paid her a visit.   

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/karen-taylor-58931a41/

When you think about the people who are leaders in law enforcement and correctional institutions, is love the first thing that comes to mind? If you answered no, you would not be alone! Nevertheless, it is through the lens of love and compassion that Cyn Link viewed her work. Over the course of a career spanning more than 25 years, going from corrections officer to superintendent, she came to believe the human connection with their people is a leader’s core obligation and perhaps the foundation of their legacy. As you listen to this leadership drive, consider whether you think it is possible to effectively lead people without love.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/cynthia-link-752891169/

Would churches be better managed if pastors saw themselves as CEOs running businesses? How would churches be different if the members debated and chose specific values instead of simply agreeing to the broad language of their doctrine or denomination? Well, Rev. Dr. Hunt does see himself as a CEO of a medium-sized business and he has pushed his Baltimore congregation to adopt specific values. As you listen to how he leads his church and the results that he’s gotten, consider whether you think such structure is appropriate for a religious institution. 

www.canthonyhunt.com

https://epworthchapel.org/ 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/c-anthony-hunt-ph-d-8427a258/

When you think about urban centers and images of violence that are often used to describe those communities, do you ever wonder, “Why are they harming each other? Why do those communities struggle so much?” Frankly, if you’ve never asked the question, you are odd person out!  Dr. Nadine Finigan Carr has taken questions like these to heart and has dedicated her career to understanding the causes of and remedies for violence in urban communities.  She is lending her expertise to the City of Baltimore as the University of Maryland at B’more’s inaugural director of the Center for Violence Prevention. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/finigancarr/ 

https://www.umaryland.edu/violence-prevention/executive-director.php