MCLP—Organizing to Meet Our Future

Blog by Sonya Mau, MCLP Executive Director

Fall of 2009 unfolded with the excitement of creating a uniquely transformative leadership program—MCLP. Now in the Fall of 2014, we begin our sixth MCLP class and move into the next phase of the MCLP journey—with you.

It’s YOU, our wonderfully generous community of supporters: speakers, facilitators, sponsors, donors and alumni, who’ve made the last five years such a joyful success. You provided both time and money to help MCLP develop leaders who are comfortable with leading in complex environments with diverse and often opposing viewpoints. With that comfort comes the courage from within each graduate to make wiser decisions, “to take action” and to deliver the innovative solutions needed for a stronger, better community.

Our 2014 annual report reflects the growing number of organizations MCLP graduates support and lead. MCLP graduates have taken greater charge of their lives, contributed more to organizations, and made a greater difference in our communities.

Even as our graduates move to the next phase in their lives, MCLP is moving to its next phase, where we take on greater responsibilities to the community and to our sustainability. In preparation MCLP has:

1. Expanded our support staff by hiring Linda Bollivar, an experienced director in the non-profit world.  As MCLP’s new Program Director, Linda will work closely with our board to ensure that people, process and functions are aligned. Pollyanna Lopez Spears is our new part-time office assistant, with a focus on process and database accuracy. Both are key to MCLP’s sustainability.
2. Moved to larger facilities. As we carefully add part-time staff, we needed more room. For the past 5 years, we were blessed with an office at Illinois State University, generously provided pro-bono. We are sad to move from our friends in the Vrooman Center. However, our new expanded space at Illinois Wesleyan University is critical for our organization’s future.  We thank both great institutions for their support of MCLP in this move.
3. Obtained our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status so we’ll be able to more directly honor those who donate to MCLP. We gratefully acknowledge Tim Leighton, of the Leighton Legal Group, LLC, for providing the pro-bono service and advice that made this possible.

There will be more decisions made, more actions taken as we work toward greater success in the next phase of our journey. We move forward with the clear standard for making a difference, a standard set by Robert K. Greenleaf for measuring true servant leaders, “The best test…is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous?”

We invite you to continue the journey with us. Our expanded staff, larger office, and new non-profit tax status put MCLP on a firm foundation to sustainably continue to develop servant leaders into the future.