S2E7: Navigating Your Career Path with Black Woman Leading Program Alumni

Introduction

In this intimate discussion, three alumni participants of the Black Woman Leading Radiance cohort (Tracie Haygood, Jennifer McClain, and Roxann Stafford) share their stories of overcoming challenges, lessons learned, and resilience as they navigate their careers as Black women leaders working in both corporate and non-profit spaces.

In our rich discussion, we talk about the importance of having “mirrors” in your life, exercising your choice, communicating your value beyond your degrees, their strategies to advance in their careers, stepping out of the shadows of others’ expectations, resisting the “black women can’t work together” false narrative, and coming more fully into our authentic selves.

Our brilliant alumni share their truths and their experience in the Black Woman Leading community. Join us and reflect on your own lessons learned while navigating your career path.

Guest Bios:

Tracie Haygood

Tracie Haygood is a degreed engineer with extensive global business experience in the areas of sales and marketing within the petrochemical, oil and energy industries. Having worked for and with major Fortune 500 companies for over 25 years, she has earned a reputation as the point person who consistently delivers results by leading diverse teams from the front with empathy and authenticity. One of the mottos she lives by: "I don't ask people to do things that I wouldn't be willing to do myself."  Connect with Tracie on LinkedIn.

Jennifer McClain

Jennifer McClain is an experienced nonprofit leader, with over 20 years of experience. She is also a skilled facilitator who has led sessions with over 600 participants since 2013 and a motivating and compassionate coach who listens and supports her clients with defining their path forward. As Director of Financial Opportunities at LISC Chicago, Jennifer fosters leadership and deploys strong project management skills to help her colleagues and external partners achieve their goals. In her role at LISC Jennifer directs and manages the organization’s network of nine Financial Opportunity Centers which are neighborhood-based centers offering integrated services of career development and placement, financial coaching, digital skills training, credit building and income supports access.  

 In addition to her role at LISC Chicago, Jennifer is Founder and CEO of Mission ENSPIRE, LLC which supports women, nonprofit, and faith-based organizations discover their purpose and operate at their fullest potential, through coaching, consulting, training and facilitation.  Jennifer holds a BS in computer science from Dillard University and a joint MBA-MPA from the Keller Graduate School of Management; she is also a graduate of the Allstate Foundation Executive Leadership Program in partnership with Northwestern University Kellogg School of Management, and achieved an Executive Scholar certificate in Nonprofit Management from Kellogg.  She is also a member of Aspen Institute’s Economic Opportunity Fellows Network.   Connect with Jennifer on LinkedIn.

Roxann Stafford

Roxann Stafford brings together the worlds of social impact, investment, entrepreneurship and design thinking. Her background in mechanical engineering, business and psychology combines the analytical rigor and empathy necessary for sustainable and justice-focused systems design. Roxann is the Managing Director of the Knight-Lenfest Local News Transformation Fund, a +$20-million independent joint venture formed by the Knight Foundation and the Lenfest Institute for Journalism. With a focus on sustainability and equity, The Knight-Lenfest Fund is designed to strengthen local journalism at scale, through supporting journalistic excellence and serving the information needs of communities. 

Roxann has extensive international experience identifying and co-creating sustainable and soulful solutions to big system problems in regions from the Pacific Islands to East Africa to the Caribbean, and cultivating opportunities for entrepreneurship to solve those issues. She works with individuals, organizations, companies, governments and communities on how to thrive in a state of reinvention and reimagination with a particular emphasis on the relationship between self agency and community agency. With groups like the Guild of Future Architects, Roxann co-creates universal prosperity by focusing on justice, interdependence and well-being. NPR, for whom Roxann has been a commentator on equity and innovation, named her a tech innovator. She is currently an inaugural Visiting Practitioner in Public Interest Tech at Cornell Tech. Roxann earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Product Design from Stanford University and an M.B.A. from Duke University, with concentrations in social entrepreneurship and strategy. Connect with Roxann on Twitter @jroxann

Resources:

We are now enrolling for the The Black Woman Leading™ learning experience that starts on January 24, 2022.  Learn more at http://blackwomanleading.com/

Credits:

Learn more about the Black Woman Leading program at http://blackwomanleading.com/

Learn more about our consulting work with organizations at https://knightsconsultinggroup.com/

Email Laura: [email protected]

Laura’s LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraeknights/

Instagram: @blackwomanleading

Podcast Music & Production: Marshall Knights 

Graphics: Olayinka Ajibola

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