Center News

Fund provides means for employee growth

Peggy Means Leadership Development Fund helps Limei Fan and Herb Bone soar in Center careers

Photo by Stephanie Cartier Limei Fan, Infectious Diseases Program administrator, will apply her Means Fund grant toward enrollment in Seattle University's Executive Leadership Program. Herb Bone, Center controller, will pursue an Executive MBA at the University of Washington.

When Peggy Means worked at the Hutchinson Center, she was famous for pushing people to push themselves. Even though she has retired, her legacy continues to inspire employees such as Herb Bone and Limei Fan to reach for the next rung.

Bone and Fan are this year's recipients of grants from the Peggy Means Leadership Development Fund. Colleagues of Means established the fund two years ago to honor her retirement as the Center's chief operating officer and senior vice president for strategic development.

During her 16-year Center career, Means mentored many employees, encouraging them to pursue new opportunities and greater responsibilities in their careers. The Means Fund keeps her legacy alive by assisting employees who want to enhance their leadership skills.

By supporting the advancement of individuals, the Means Fund also supports the future of the Center. "We're trying to use this to identify the next generation of leaders and support them in making a big career development step to fulfill their personal goals and help the Center achieve its mission," said Dr. Barbara Trask, head of the Human Biology Division and a member of the fund's selection committee.

Bone and Fan are "textbook examples" of employees who meet those criteria, said Janet Leeds, administrator for the Fred Hutchinson/University of Washington Cancer Consortium and a member of the fund's selection committee. "They're both highly skilled and widely respected employees who we want to remain here at the Center for a long time. The grants will provide a jump start to help them broaden their focus and ability to address larger challenges."

Bone, the Hutchinson Center's controller, has worked at the Center for 17 years. He will use his grant to help pay for enrollment in the Executive MBA Program at the University of Washington. Fan, administrator for the Infectious Diseases Program, has worked at the Center for 10 years. She will use her grant to help pay for enrollment in the Executive Leadership Program at Seattle University. Both will continue to work at the Center while pursuing their studies.

As much as Bone and Fan appreciate the financial support, they also appreciate the vote of confidence their selection represents. "I think it's extremely important to work in a place where people are valued for their capabilities and their growth potential," said Fan. Ditto, said Bone. "It was a good, warm feeling to know the efforts I've put in over the years have been recognized," he said.

Fan's goal is to acquire strategic-planning skills that will enable her to more effectively respond to the escalating demands of administering a burgeoning program. "Infectious Diseases is one of the most complex programs because it includes many different institutions and many very large projects," she said. "It's a very busy program and the landscape is always changing, especially as we become more involved in global-health issues."

Bone's job also is evolving. It's not just about financial analysis anymore, but also about financial policy development. "As the Center has grown, a lot of policy decisions have been made that need to be reviewed and revised to ensure they are consistent and effective," he said. "I want to expand my business knowledge beyond accounting and finance and develop leadership and planning skills to use in my current situation as well as down the road."

As awareness of the Means Fund grows, Fan hopes it inspires more employees at all levels to think about the legacy it represents and their own leadership potential. "Peggy exemplified all the leadership skills I think are important — a high degree of integrity, a lot of common sense and a lot of faith in people," Fan said. "It's all about developing employees who can take their programs and the Center to new heights."

All Center employees — scientific as well as non-scientific — are eligible to apply for one of the annual grants if they have worked at the Center at least four years and plan to use the funds to enhance their leadership skills. The selection committee will begin accepting applications for the next round of grants in January 2008. "We're looking for people who have leadership potential and the ability to do more in their current job or to grow into a higher-level position," Trask said.

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