Women & Politics presents:

Women & Politics: Women Leadership

Today Sheri and Carol talk with three incredible women leaders on women develop leadership, the meaning of servant leadership, and how mentorship is critical to bringing women to the forefront. Our guests in the first half hour are: Myra Goodman-Smith and Linda Tissiere. The second half of the show brings us Chloe Edwards, multi-talented activist and advocate, winner of several awards including this years Outstanding Woman Award.

Myra Goodman Smith is the President and CEO of Leadership Metro Richmond (LMR), our region’s community leadership development and engagement organization. Over 40 years, LMR has connected diverse community leaders, preparing them serve with impact.  Myra has a diverse range of management and leadership experience, serving more than 30 years in the nonprofit sector. She has created and led governance workshops and training programs for nonprofit leaders and boards of directors.  Myra has been engaged in our communities throughout her life, serving on various commissions, boards, and councils. Today, she serves as Board Chair of the Jenkins Foundation, a  health legacy foundation.  Myra has recently received awards and recognition from the YWCA, the Richmond Times-Dispatch, and Richmond Magazine for her leadership in our region. Myra holds a bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Planning and a Master’s in Public Administration from Virginia Commonwealth University. She is a graduate of Leadership Metro Richmond Class of 2006

You can find her at Leadership Metro Richmond http://www.lmrconnect.org

Linda Tissiere became CEO of YWCA Richmond in July, 2012.  As CEO, she leads the strategic direction of the organization with a special emphasis on fund development, community engagement, advocacy and organizational effectiveness. YWCA Richmond is one of the region’s oldest nonprofits at the forefront of creating positive social change through the elimination of racism and the empowerment of women.  The vision of the YWCA is to transform individual lives and our community by creating access to opportunities, strengthening resilience, and advancing equitable systems for lifelong success.

Prior to joining the YWCA, Linda was Vice President of Stakeholder Engagement & Integrated Communications at Luck Companies (formerly Luck Stone Corporation), where she worked for ten years.  At Luck, she was responsible for the execution of reputation management strategies, as well as leading executive engagement initiatives, strategic communications, public relations, government relations, and social responsibility.

Linda moved to Virginia in 2002 from upstate New York where she lived for eight years, and before that she resided in Providence, Rhode Island.  Her extensive professional career spans a variety of disciplines including journalism, public relations, philanthropy and corporate communications for financial, manufacturing, higher education and health care organizations.  She was also a Middle School Spanish teacher and coach for girls’ basketball and softball.

Linda has a strong passion for the empowerment of women and children and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Smart Beginnings of Richmond and the Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia.  She is a former Board member of the Children’s Museum of Richmond and the Henrico Education Foundation.  Linda is also a member of the 2016 class of Leadership Metro Richmond and was honored as one of Richmond Magazine’s Bold Women of 2021.  She has a M.A. in Journalism from The Ohio State University and a B.A. in Spanish from Indiana University. She is married and has three adult children.   In her spare time, she enjoys golf, travel and spending time with her family.  You can find her at the YWCA of Richmond at http://ywcarichmond.org

Chloe Edwards is the Advocacy & Engagement Manager at Voices for Virginia’s Children. She serves as a liaison between partners, advocates, and Voices policy team. She specializes in cross-disciplinary issues, such as trauma-informed care and equity. In August 2020, Edwards launched Virginia’s first Racial Truth & Reconciliation Week, which was recognized by Governor Ralph Northam and is now Racial Truth & Reconciliation Virginia, an evolvement of the Campaign for a Trauma-Informed Virginia.

Through the Campaign, Edwards provides technical assistance to connect local-level trends to policy opportunities. She provides advocacy support & trainings to center the experiences of advocates with lived experience and professionals working within systems to mobilize change at the local and state-level. Edwards has experience advocating at the local, state, and national level. Currently, she serves as the President of Black Lives Matter 804 and Assistant Director & Digital Organizer for the Truth Telling Project. Chloe completed the Minority Research and Law Institute Program at Southern University in 2013 and the University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Emerging Leaders program in 2019. She holds a Bachelor’s in English from Hollins University and Master’s of Public Policy in Leadership from Liberty University.

You can find her at Virginia Voices for Children: https://vakids.org/

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Carol Olson    Women & Politics    September 2nd, 2021

Posted In: Local, Music, News

Tags: chloeedwards, lindatissiere, myragoodmansmith, SheriShannon, womenlead, womenpoliticsva