Advocacy and Mentorship: Berkshire Leadership Summit

Six years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the Berkshire Leadership Summit, held in Lenox, MA during October 28-29, 2017. This was a pilot event for women aspiring to, or already in, leadership positions in the non-profit theatre in both the artistic and management tracks. The Berkshire Leadership Summit was informed and supported by research that American Conservatory Theater commissioned from the Wellesley Centers for Women. 

The Summit provided deep dive, nuts and bolts sessions into four areas which female theater professionals identified as main barriers to the next step in leadership:

1. Fundraising

2. Producing

3. Relationship Building

4. Awareness Building

Berkshire Leadership Summit group photo.

I was among a handful of women leaders who had managed to move into an executive position and was, thus, considered somewhat of a trailblazer. It was mentioned that by 2017, I was still a rare woman of color running the executive functions of a major LORT (League of Regional Theatres) in the United States, having served as Managing Director of Baltimore Center Stage during 2008-2010.

The steering committee of the Berkshire Leadership Summit (l-r: Shafer Mazow, Akiba Abaka, Rachel Fink, Kristen van Ginhoven.

Needless to say, this Summit substantiated that we had a lot of catch-up work to do in order to increase the representation of women of color running our arts organizations.

But one thing caught me by surprise: Joy Meads, one of my former staff members, posted this “mentorship memory”. It was further accentuated by other staff members who chimed in with their gracious acknowledgement of our working relationship as captured on this screenshot. Reading their words again, six years later, made my heart grow three sizes. As a leader, one often forgets that the smallest of gestures is often magnified by your staff - to the point where it is irrevocably imprinted (good and bad).

Bless Joy Meads, Andrea Day, Sean Daniels, Les Reinhardt and all of my former staff members for paying it forward. They are solid gold mentors in their own right. I am proud to now be their mentee.