ILA Spawns Vital Connections, Linking Leaders across Borders

Holly Kerr, a new member of ILA, is a trustee for a small foundation that supports Latino leadership in Lake County, Illinois. She teaches critical thinking and marketing at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management, has worked in marketing and manufacturing for more than 20 years, and holds an MBA from Harvard, which means, she says with tongue in cheek, “I can lead anything.” In November 2003 she attended the International Leadership Association conference in Guadalajara at the invitation of her friend, Margie Nicholson, a faculty member at Columbia College Chicago, who was one of the presenters.

Because of her passion for Latino language and culture, along with her need to improve communications with Kerr Foundation grantees, Holly has been studying Spanish for several years. At the ILA conference, Holly was impressed with Luz Lajous Vargas, president of the board of Promujer-Mexico, who gave a keynote presentation on Leadership: Bridging the Divide(s). Promujer-Mexico, which provides micro loans and training for women with small businesses, works with 6000 women and is growing rapidly. Prior to joining Promujer, Luz Lajous served in the Mexican House of Representatives and the Senate and was president of the International Women’s Forum.

Holly approached Luz after her ILA keynote to find out more about Promujer and to offer her services as a pro bono consultant. Luz responded with enthusiasm and in January 2004, Holly flew from Chicago to Mexico City and then took a bus to Tula, Mexico where she settled into an apartment and reported to work. For the next two months Holly was a consultant to Director Armando Laborde and the staff of Promujer. She attended board meetings, worked on strategy and planning, introduced Promujer to the value disciplines model, and helped the organization develop a customer intimacy strategy.

Although Holly’s goal was to improve her Spanish in exchange for helping Promujer, at the end of her visit she found that her Spanish hadn’t improved much because she had spent so much time reading and communicating business concepts in English. But Holly so enjoyed her work with Promujer’s board, staff and clients that she plans to go back to Tula next year to continue her language development and consulting services. “It’s all about networking,” says Holly, who credits the International Leadership Association for this opportunity to learn and serve. “As you contribute to the lives of others, you also benefit,” she says. Luz Lajous concurred, “Holly was a true asset for Promujer; her legacy will last through the enrichment of thousands of Mexican women, even if they do not know it. That is true generosity!

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