Center News
February 2007
Apply for 'Means' to help free your inner leader
Peggy Means Leadership Development Fund grant applications due Feb. 28
Photo by Dean Forbes
Last year's recipients of the first grants from the Peggy Means Leadership Development Fund: Jennifer Yahne (left), Department of Planning and Strategic Development; Dr. Barbara Berg, External Affairs and Communications Department; and Dr. Karen Peterson, Human Biology Division.
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The Peggy Means Leadership Development Fund reflects a viewpoint once expressed by John F. Kennedy: leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. The fund, created last year to honor Means upon retirement as chief operating officer and senior vice president for strategic development, supports the growth of effective and capable Center leaders by accelerating their professional development.
Applications are currently being accepted for the 2007 grants. Any Center employee — scientific as well as administrative — is eligible to apply, provided he or she has worked at the Center for at least four years and plans to use the grant to enhance leadership skills.
Stretching their boundaries"Peggy Means exemplified what it means to be a leader at the Center," said Nancy Wells, vice president of Development. "We're pleased that others can have a chance to develop their leadership skills through this fund."
Jennifer Yahne, one of three 2006 grant recipients, used her award to pay tuition for her last two quarters in the Executive Master of Health Administration program at the University of Washington, which she finished in August 2006. "In September, I started a new position at the Center working as a planning analyst and special projects manager in the Department of Planning and Strategic Development," she said. "Getting my master's degree helped to qualify me for this position, and I've been able to apply many of the skills that I learned."
Dr. Karen Peterson, interdisciplinary training associate in Human Biology, attended the Leadership Development Program at the Center for Creative Leadership with her 2006 grant funds. She credits the training with increasing her certainty in her ability to lead. "Just receiving the Peggy Means award boosted my confidence," she said. "The training gave me the courage to stretch my boundaries and take on new responsibilities." Those new roles include being elected to the board of directors for the National Postdoctoral Association and developing the Center's new Village Voice series focused on diversity issues.
Another grant recipient, Dr. Barbara Berg, has transitioned from senior science writer to strategic communications adviser for the External Affairs and Communications and Development departments. She is applying her award toward a master's in business administration at the UW.
The fund, which grows through private donations, annually supports a total of $20,000 in training expenses, distributed among up to five individuals. A selection committee made up of Dr. Barbara Trask, head of the Human Biology Division; Nachtrieb, vice president for Human Resources; and Janet Leeds, administrator for the Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington Cancer Consortium, chooses awardees.
Commitment is crucialApplicants and their supervisors must submit applications jointly. Criteria include commitment to the Center, the applicant's potential to be a leader and how effective the applicant's desired activity would be in supporting their growth. The committee is accepting applications until the Feb. 28 deadline. For forms and details, check the Center Web site at http://centernet.fhcrc.org/CN/depts/hr/training/peggymeans.
Wells said she accepts and greatly appreciates donations to the fund from any member of the Hutchinson Center community. For more information, please contact her at nwells@fhcrc.org.
