Yesterday was Boss’s Day. I didn’t celebrate. Not because I don’t like my boss, but because I have the pleasure of working with a leader.
Earlier this month, Lisa Scales was recognized as 2018 Greater Pittsburgh ATHENA. ATHENA recognizes exceptional women who demonstrate excellence in their profession, contribute to their community and help other women to succeed through mentorship. You can watch Lisa’s award video here.
Lisa certainly embodies all the things she was recognized for. Her tireless advocacy for the elimination of hunger and food insecurity, and her commitment to change inside and outside the Food Bank. Her contributions through the Feeding America’s national network of food banks to delivering fresh produce where it’s needed most; to forging innovative partnerships with the medical community to address health and wellness issues; and to maximizing the use of technology to measure performance.
Yes. She does all that and more.
Working with Lisa has helped me to grow in ways that I had not expected. When Lisa hired me to lead the Food Bank’s fundraising, marketing and volunteer programs the Food Bank was in the process of adopting a radically different approach to the work of feeding people in need by setting a bold goal to meet the need in southwestern Pennsylvania by 2025. I knew the job would be demanding — requiring us to better connect with our community to encourage the level of support that is desperately needed. But Lisa’s vision requires us to do more than feed people. It requires us to transform a large and complex social service organization to meet the immediate needs of our neighbors and to create a community that is committed to helping ensure increased stability for all of us. She pushes us daily to work differently with one another, to lead collaboratively and to make bold decisions to bring food security to our community.
So maybe, the day after Boss’s Day should be Leader’s Day. That is a day I could celebrate.