Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Women We Love: Jackie Bright

Jackie Bright, who leads the Literacy Volunteers of Charlottesville/Albemarle with passion, sometimes has to remind herself focus more on the big picture than the details; something that isn’t always easy.

“My mind is constantly abuzz with ideas and I struggle against a self-imposed sense of urgency,” says Bright, who is also the co-chair of the Midtown Business Association and serves on the Charlottesville/Albemarle Commission on Children and Families.

As with many other nonprofits, Bright’s “typical” workday just isn’t. Every day offers new challenges, but Bright summed it up with: “My ‘typical’ workday consists of building a better mousetrap, eating lunch and repeating.”

Bright received her degree in Communication Studies with an emphasis on Rhetoric and Public Discourse from the University of Montana. It was a teacher there who inspired her career path.

“In college, I took a series of rhetoric classes from the most articulate woman I have ever met,” she says. “She had a brilliant way of analyzing communication and a passion for equality, it was completely inspiring. She encouraged me to explore activism, which ultimately led to an interest in nonprofit work.”

Bright, who is close to her parents and sister, and enjoys time with her “loving and lovely partner and passive aggressive cat,” doesn’t know if people can live a “balanced life” exactly.

“I always laugh when I see people celebrating amazon women. It’s as if the dashboard for a woman’s success has become having children, a healthy marriage, a clean house, perfect physique, a good job and her ability to employ superhuman tactics to keep it all in balance,” Bright says. “You never really see that ability emphasized or celebrated in men. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE juggling a lot of projects, but at the end of the day, it’s not about balancing it all. It’s about focusing on what’s important, letting go of what isn’t, and having the courage to not define yourself by what you aren’t doing.”

With her crazy schedule, Bright does have “a self-soothe menu,” an idea someone recommended to her. “This deceptively simple task became a light-bulb endeavor for me,” she notes. “My list ranges from running and biking, to baking and wearing sweat pants all day.”

For Bright, her most rewarding professional experiences happen at work. “To me, business is a beautiful, complex machine—an intricate system of people and information exchange replacing levers and pulleys,” she says. “My most rewarding professional moments are identifying and implementing ways to make that machine run faster, smoother, stronger and better.”

The best advice she ever received came from her former employer Peter Thompson at the Senior Center in Charlottesville.

“I was 28 when I became an executive director,” Bright says. “I was young, overjoyed and flat-out terrified. In a moment of panic, I reached out to my former employer Peter Thompson, a trusted friend and mentor. I will never forget his words that day: ‘They believe in you. It’s time for you to believe in you.’”
She’s not afraid to be wrong and she appreciates when others embrace that ability in themselves, too.

“My biggest pet peeve is when people fight for the right to be right, even when it’s at the complete detriment to everything they hold dear. Being wrong is a source of humor, art, illumination, individuality and change,” Bright says.

If she were to give advice to someone considering this field it would be: “Be tough, be smart, be personable, but don’t take things personally.”

8 Things You Might Not Know about Jackie Bright…

1.  Who is your favorite author and why? J.K. Rowling. And not because her stories are delightful (which they are), but because her rags-to-riches transformation is an absolute inspiration.

2.  Favorite thing about Charlottesville?  Fireflies

3.  What is your favorite hobby/pastime? My idea of bliss is sharing a meal with friends and family.

4.  What is one of your hidden talents/skills?  Probably the thing that would most surprise people is how good I am at video games.

5.  What is your guilty pleasure? A dirty martini

6.  What is your favorite movie and why?  Indiana Jones. I was convinced I was going to be the next “Indiana.” That is, until I took my first archeology class in college. I couldn’t remember any of the historical details, was bored to tears and promptly switched majors.

7.  Where did you grow up?  I was born in Charlottesville, but grew up in Montana.

8.  What is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why? Obviously the Internet and cell phones have revolutionized our business and personal relationships. But probably the greatest invention for me was spell check. Ha, and I might add, I spelled “spell check” wrong when writing this and was promptly corrected by it.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

The Women’s Initiative Receives Grant

On Tuesday, Sept. 21 nearly 300 individuals gathered at Farmington Country Club to honor The Women’s Initiative as Women United in Philanthropy’s (WUP) 2010 human services grant recipient.

Shares grant Co-Chair Carol Johnston, “The Women’s Initiative plays an important role in providing mental health services for uninsured women in our community. With the 2010 Women United in Philanthropy grant of $40,000, The Women’s Initiative will be able to continue and even expand such services at this critical time of decreasing mental health funding.” 

This is the 5th year that Women United in Philanthropy has awarded an annual grant, and since its inception, the group has raised nearly $120,000.

“Receiving this grant is truly a monumental occasion,” states Kerry Day, Executive Director. “When women come to us in search of counseling services, their lives are often painfully broken. They are struggling with depression, anxiety and trauma and they are reaching out for help at a critical moment in their lives. We thank WUP for recognizing the importance of women’s mental health in the health and wellness of our entire community.”

In addition to the monetary contribution, The Women’s Initiative also received $25,000 in advertising from Monticello Media. These on-air spots will help the agency educate listeners about the signs & symptoms of psychological distress and break down the social stigma surrounding mental illness so women will reach out for help.

To learn more about the agency, visit http://www.thewomensinitiative.org.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Women We Love: Kerry Day

It’s a good thing that Kerry Day looks good in hats because as executive director of The Women’s Initiative she has to wear many of them.

“As with any executive director of a relatively young nonprofit, I wear many hats, so it is difficult—if not impossible—to a name a ‘typical’ day for me,” Day says. “My hours are filled with advocacy, researching, fundraising, strategic planning, steering the ship and more.“

Day feels blessed to do what she does, despite the challenge faced by the nonprofit to “secure enough funding to keep up with the community need.”

“At The Women’s Initiative, each day also serves as a vivid reminder of the power of human transformation,” Day says. “When women come to us in search of counseling services, their lives are often terribly broken, and yet they have the strength to turn inward, pick up the pieces and rebuild. Witnessing this transformation is an honor and a blessing.”

The Women’s Initiative in Downtown Charlottesville offers counseling services, education opportunities and social groups for the women in our area—regardless of their ability to pay. “Our individual counseling program and our community outreach efforts are opening up the doors of health and wellness to hundreds upon hundreds of uninsured and underinsured women in our community,” she says. “We need more funding to ensure that we have adequate capacity to respond to the increasing demand for affordable mental health services.”

Day notes the growth of the programs offered at The Women’s Initiative is one of her most rewarding professional experiences. “The tapestry of women currently involved with The Women’s Initiative is nothing short of amazing,” Day says. “We have grown from a clinical staff of two therapists to a team of 16. We have nearly 90 volunteers involved with our agency. And our services now include bilingual counseling and psychiatric services, as well. We truly believe that when women care for themselves they become powerful role models for their families, their neighbors and our community.”

With such a heavy workload, on top of being a wife to David and mom to Carmen, 10, Juliet, 8, and Indigo, 6, Day strives for balance in her life. “I don’t think I’ve fully figured out that secret just yet. I find balance in all her glory, to be rather elusive,” she says. “It’s a state of existence, which I tend to stumble into and out of, depending on the moment. I try to find space in every day for stillness. I hug my children endlessly. I practice yoga for clarity of body and mind. I laugh with my husband while the rest of the world is sleeping. And I write.”

Day often thinks back on some of the best career advice she ever received. “When I was 24, I was the marking director of an architectural firm. I was fairly consumed by the demands of my position and worked too many hours. One night, when I had returned to the office at midnight to work on a proposal, I found a note from TJ, the office gopher, on my computer screen. It read: ‘This is only the sideshow.’ Wise words indeed.”

For those considering a post in the nonprofit sector, Day offers this advice: “Be prepared to work with ardent, passionate people. Be prepared to feel hope and pain with equal intensity.”

8 Things You Might Not Know About Kerry Day

1.  Who is your favorite author and why? Poet Rainier Marie Rilke, because of all things unnamable. And Gabriel Garcia Marquez, because we would all do well to venture into the fantastic.

2.  What is your favorite thing about Charlottesville? The scale, the eclectic blend of people and the accessibility to mountains and sea.

3.  What is your favorite hobby/pastime? Ashtanga yoga and night dreaming.

4.  What is one of your hidden talents/skills? Dancing. I love to dance.

5.  What is your guilty pleasure? Travel (and body massages, especially if the two are combined). Travel heightens my senses and makes me dig deep. When I grow up, I want to travel all over the world; small villages, remote islands, sacred deserts, vibrant cities, quiet rivers, malachite forests. I want to share stories in foreign languages and eat soul-quenching food.

6.  What is your favorite movie and why? Probably Moulin Rouge—because I’m a hopeless romantic.

7.  Where did you grow up? Overland Park, Kansas.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Quadruplicity Conference Set for February 2011

Quadruplicity is a leading annual business women’s event centered on career, life, money and health, announces its 2011 conference date and venue scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 10 at the Doubletree Hotel Charlottesville in Virginia. In its fourth year, the 2011 Annual Chamber Quadruplicity Women’s Conference is run by the Charlottesville Regional Chamber of Commerce Business Women’s Roundtable.

Like its predecessors, the 2011 conference is designed to be a transformative business event by giving women insights and techniques needed to take charge of what is most important to them. Quadruplicity examines women’s unique styles of leadership and management within the context of their complex, dynamic and multi-dimensional lives. As always, the conference will include a high-profile keynote speaker and is the presentation setting for the prestigious international ATHENA award given to an exceptional leader in our community. In addition to being a great networking event, Quadruplicity delivers a selection of morning and afternoon breakout sessions built around highly relevant action items.

“It is fascinating and very timely to have a conference focused on women working to balance career, life, money and health,” said Cathy Smith Train, 2010 Chamber ATHENA Award winner, Past Chamber Board Chairwoman, President of Charlottesville’s United Way–Thomas Jefferson Area.

“Quadruplicity is the preeminent conference for women interested in professional development,” said Rena Wray, Chair of the 2011 Chamber Annual Quadruplicity conference, Group Benefits/Small Business Specialist, Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. in Charlottesville. “Our conference attendees walk away invigorated by the experience and with tangible benefits: day-long networking opportunities and a full roster of presentations and breakout sessions led by seasoned business professionals.”

Additionally, Charlottesville Woman magazine will present four outstanding Charlottesville-area women with the inaugural 4 Under 40 awards at the conference. You have until Dec. 15 to nominate yourself or another fabulous woman from our area for this prestigious honor!

Stay tuned for a full 2011 Annual Chamber Quadruplicity Conference agenda, as well as ongoing updates to be posted on the Quadruplicity website in the coming weeks.

Wednesday, September 01, 2010

Newest Charlottesville Woman magazine out today!

The Fall issue of Charlottesville Woman is out in today’s Daily Progress. If you miss picking up Wednesday’s newspaper, click this link to find a list of areas to pick up copies!!

This month we talk about friendship in our Etiquette section. In today’s very connected world, social media can sometimes blur the lines of acquaintances, working relationships and friends, very important distinctions. I know I’ve struggled to define my responsibility to people on social network sites and being OK with the decisions and limits I place on myself for those I communicate with on Twitter or Facebook or LinkedIn or through my personal blog. You can make “real” friendships with those on these and other social network sites, but to keep you from stumbling blindly through such open communications, our piece “Are You My Friend” (with comments from Woman We Love Marijean Jaggers) can help you appropriately set up your communication policy to avoid awkward situations later.

We feature Cathy Smith Train, who has worked for the past 22 years with the United Way-Thomas Jefferson Area. This mother, wife and president of the organization was recognized for her achievements at Quadruplicity in March with the Athena Award. Her passion for her work shines through as we learn more about this incredible woman in the story “Living United.”

Understanding our bodies so that we feel good is important. Part of that comes from finding balance, part comes from healthy living and another comes from fitness. This month we learn how to say no to help us keep all the balls in the air. We also learn more about the Club Red Clinic at UVA Health System and how to be heart healthy. And we laugh it up in Laughter Yoga, which is a gentle aerobic exercise and mood enhancer all in one.

Our next issue (publishing Dec. 1) will contain a gift-buying guide. Do you have a secret gift shop that always contains the perfect gift you’d like to share with us? Email us at . We’d love to hear from you! Also, check out our every-other-week Women We Love blog posts (and other updates) at http://cwmag.dailyprogress.com! You can always follow us on Twitter @cwmag. Have a great fall!

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