Dr. Cynthia Cherrey - An Experience of a Lifetime: ILA's Past, Present, and Future

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In this episode, Dr. Cynthia Cherrey discusses the past, present, and future of the International Leadership Association.  Her story of the founding is rich and descriptive - an experience of a lifetime.

Cynthia Cherrey is President and CEO of the International Leadership Association (ILA), a global community committed to increasing quality research, teaching, and practices of leadership contributing to the common good around the world. As president of a multi-sector and global professional association, she promotes rigor and relevance of leadership at the intersection of theory and practice. Previously, Cynthia served as Lecturer in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and Vice President for Campus Life at Princeton University.

Dr. Cherrey speaks to non-profit and for-profit organizations around the world and writes in the areas of leadership, organizational development, and higher education. Cynthia’s interests and research explore new ways to live, work, and lead in a knowledge-driven, interdependent, global culture. Recently she did a podcast series for VoiceAmerica’s business channel on global leadership with Maureen Metcalf, host of Innovative Leaders Driving Thriving Organizations. A sought-after advisor, Cynthia serves on the editorial board of Asian Women and the President’s Advisory Group at Carnegie Mellon University. She is a Fellow at the World Business Academy, a Royal Society of the Arts Fellow, and a recipient of a J.W. Fulbright Scholarship.

Quotes From This Episode

• "This was an experience of a lifetime to be sitting in the same room with James McGregor Burns, who was one of the founders of the ILA along with Georgia Sorenson. And, of course, the person who helped with the funding of that program was Lorraine Matusek, who was a program director at the Kellogg Foundation at the time."
• "So we had 100 professionals from across the country who came together to further this conversation. And I think one of the pivotal moments for me out of that conversation was...it was the first time that Warren Bennis and James McGregor Burns got together in person."
• "In the sense of Lorraine (Matusak) and Georgia (Sorenson), we lost to our founders. And when you think about what they did, in leaving a legacy that's going to echo for generations."
• "I think one of the things that we have learned in leadership, and especially with crisis leadership, is that it opens the opportunity for change."

Resources Mentioned in This Episode

• The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race by Walter Isaacson
• How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need by Bill Gates

The International Leadership Association (ILA)

• The ILA was created in 1999 to bring together professionals with a keen interest in the study, practice, and teaching of leadership. Today, ILA is the largest worldwide community committed to leadership scholarship, development, and practice. 

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