Leading Ladies| Left to right – Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco, Elizabeth Halkos, Nabiha Saklayen, Sophia Hall, Jodi Rosenbaum

Emory’s mission “to create, preserve, teach, and apply knowledge in the service of humanity” was on full display in the lives and professional accomplishments of panelists of the TrailblazHER event on the eve of the Presidential debate.  Even the venue, More than Words, is an entity born out of alumna Jodi Rosenbaum’s passion to change the system she observed over twenty years ago while she worked at the Atlanta area courts reviewing cases.  “I spent more time in the courts than in the classroom and even had a key to the courthouse,” said Jodi, whose organization empowers at risk youth through entrepreneurship and leadership.

The Journey and the aha moment!

More Than Words Bookstore

The evening began with each panelist sharing their journey and reflecting on when they realized they were in a leadership position.   The panelists included Elizabeth Halkos 01MBA, Sophia Hall 09C, Jodi Rosenbaum 97C, and Nabiha Saklayen 12C and were led by moderator, Jacqueline Ganim-DeFalco 81C.    Jacqueline kicked off the evening by setting the tone for leadership in the broadest sense.  At various points in our lives, we are called upon to lead professionally, in our community, in our family – but once a leader, always a leader in some capacity.

Nabiha, a Ph.D. in physics, admits that she didn’t set out to be a CEO, but nearly everyone around her, all leaders in their field, believed in her and she simply stepped up to the challenge, jumping into many roles as the CEO of a biotech startup, Cellino.  Her diverse background growing up all over the world and speaking multiple languages gave her a unique perspective that only she could bring to her role.  Sophia heard “no” too many times and just pushed through various roles until she found a firm that said YES to her ideas and passion.   Jodi was motivated by anger about the way things were done and was driven to make an impact.  Elizabeth was given a series of roles she thought were better suited to other experts, but quickly realized, she was the leader they needed in her organization, and she would learn what she needed to fill in the gaps. 

Challenges, Derailment, & Resilience

Michele Davis opening the evening

The simple answer to this is “yes,” we have all had them.  All panelists agreed that the main point is to constantly remind each other that we will all have bumps and bruises along the way, and you just have to know this is often the most memorable part of the journey.  For Nabiha, fundraising to the tune of $120M has been her most recent challenge which began in 2017 – facing head on the fact that only 2% of women-owned companies receive venture money.   Elizabeth remembers many closed doors when presenting the concept and raising money for an all-female venture fund.  “No,” was often based simply on gender (you don’t look like us) – a reflection of the tech industry as a whole.   She added somewhat humorously that one of her memorable experiences is being “deposed” for 9 hours when she was 8 months pregnant – a degree of discomfort unique to our gender.    Sophia emphasized that “success usually happens after going through the stuff that really hurts,” and vulnerability helps build the character we need as leaders.  Jacqueline reflected on her experience being asked to open up the Asia-Pacific markets for her employer NYNEX in the late 80’s.   “At the age of 26, I became a ‘Managing Director’ representing a major corporation overseas. Knowing the markets, building credibility quickly, and avoiding any social faux pas was essential to my success and the company’s reputation.  My reputation and the company’s were one in the same being halfway around the world.”

Leadership essentials – Innovation, Vision, and Relationships

Jodi reflected on how important it’s been for her to hire people “smarter that she is” in various parts of the More than Words team.   Innovation is part of their everyday mantra – and essential to growth of the individuals and the business.   Innovation in a different form allowed Nabiha to launch her cell tissue business which focuses on cells that are specific to ethnic groups – something truly new in the bio-tech world.  Elizabeth is breaking barriers in the Health Tech records management space – a thorn in the side of medical administrators.  Sophia reflected on one of her most interesting cases during the “me too” movement – exploring and representing issues unique to the Latino restaurant workers.  

The panel collectively agreed that relationship building, particularly outside your organization is a call to action for everyone in the room throughout their career and in their communities.   Jacqueline had the privilege of a co-consulting relationship with James Masciarelli, noted author of PowersSkills – a formula for building and leveraging top tier relationships for success.  Elizabeth shared a story about graduating from Emory’s Goizueta MBA program in ‘01, being ready to move to NYC to take on a new consulting role exactly 23 years ago when 9-11 changed the NYC hiring landscape.  Having found herself jobless, her strategic networking yielded an entirely new position in a different city.  Nabiha unlike many scientists, makes every effort to find new connections every day.   She focuses in on the “conversation” and works hard to get to know potential investors and partners and emphasizes the importance of the human connection.  No doubt, she has earned her 9000 following on LinkedIn!  

As each has advanced in their careers, the panel emphasized that “advocacy” becomes another dimension of their leadership.   For Sophia, it’s look at the systemic changed needed in her work for Civil Rights.   For Jodi, it’s becoming a lobbyist to advocate for a better eco-system for at risk youth.

Advice to a younger self

Nabiha reflected on the fact that she rarely slept during college and her lack of personal care could have had severe long-term consequences.  She advocates for better self-care and “health above everything,” “we don’t get to choose how our bodies respond to stress.”   Elizabeth and Sophia focused on risk-taking and keeping an open mind to paths you may not even consider.   Elizabeth recommends trusting our gut – remembering a time when she simply felt like the environment she was in was to big for her to make a difference.  Sophia reminds us that “we are presented with many molds, but it’s important to embrace your authenticity.”  Furthermore, take risks BEFORE you have children as that truly changes the landscape.  Jodi summed up the question and the session by her revelation that she wishes she paid less attention to what others thought.  In other words, set your own standards, get clear on your values and stick to them.  On that note, truly each of these panelists embraced a higher set of values very much in the spirit that Emory has built its culture.  It was remarkable to see that given the diverse range of backgrounds, experiences, and graduation timeframes that the group was united in their commitment to do good in their work and community. 

Summation:

As per the moderator, “when I began my career, I was grateful to the women that came before me to pave the way for a more balanced set of opportunities and career choices, but that was just the beginning.  Now, more than ever, we need to support each other and celebrate our collective success by paying it forward.”  Leadership comes in many forms.   It can happen in your family, community, profession, and the workplace.  Sometimes it evolves over time as you gradually build credibility and others start to look up to you for your expertise– other times it happens quickly.  Regardless, it’s important to understand your responsibilities once you are in a leadership position.  Help those around you become their best selves, listen and observe before making changes, reward your peers and team for their leadership, build healthy long-term relationships, inspire people through your actions, and be self-aware – taking time to learn, grow, and attend to your mental and physical health.

Special thanks to all the Emory family working hard behind the scenes to support Emory’s many initiatives – especially the Women of Emory Impact Circle.  A special shout out to Nicole Holubar and Michele Davis for having the vision to make this come to life.

Favorite Leadership Books, Tools, Workshops

Board Development: For non profit and private co boards

Event: Inc 5000 Fastest Growing Company events

Books – Daring Greatly by Brenee Brown, Good to Great – Jim Collins and zero to one – Peter Thiel.

Teamwork: The  Music Paradigm and  Meyers-Briggs (MBTI)

Leadership: Strengthsfinder from Gallup and PowerSkills   VIP Relationship Management

General Learning/Inspiration: HBS/WSA Dynamic Women in Business Annual Conference at Harvard Business School annually in February.

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