Spring 11 MASTER.indd - Thunderbird Magazine

American Express expands
social sector program
T
he American
Express Foundation
has announced a
three-year extension
and expansion of a weeklong
leadership development
program that brings rising
stars in the social sector to
Thunderbird.
The program, which started
in 2009 and returned to
campus in 2010, will establish
the American Express Social
Sector Leadership Academy
at Thunderbird starting May
2-6, 2011.
Under the expanded format,
Thunderbird professors
led by academic directors
Michael Finney, Ph.D., and
Mary Teagarden, Ph.D., will
design the curriculum and
teach courses with involvement
from American Express
executives.
Faculty coaches will follow
up with participants at various
intervals following the
program, and assessments
such as the Thunderbird
Global Mindset Inventory
will measure progress.
Thunderbird Associate Vice
President Joy Lubeck ’86 will
continue as program director.
Leslie Motter, former
general manager for American
Express in Phoenix, said she
first envisioned the program
about four years ago while
serving on a nonprofit board.
When the organization lost its
CEO, the board struggled to
find a qualified replacement.
“We did not have good
succession planning,” Motter
said. “When we started to
look at other nonprofits in
the community, it became
clear to me that we were
going to have to take a CEO
from another nonprofit.”
Motter said the goal of the
American Express academy is
news & notes
Participants meet April 27, 2010, during the Social Sector Emerging
Leader Consortium in Glendale, Arizona.
to prepare the next generation
of social sector leaders.
“We recognize the significant
impact that social sector
leaders have in our society,”
she said.
Thunderbird community launches angel network
Alumni, faculty and
friends of Thunderbird’s
Walker Center for Global
Entrepreneurship launched
a new resource for startup
companies on Oct. 28, 2010.
The Thunderbird Angel Network,
a separate legal entity
from the school, will help
link angel investors with
promising entrepreneurs.
The organization will
serve as a forum for its
members, who will invest
individually from their personal
funds. It will also offer
educational opportunities to
its members from national
and local experts on topics
related to investment and
entrepreneurship.
“Angel networks provide
financing opportunities for
promising, early-stage entrepreneurs
with high-growth
market opportunities,” said
Dee Harris, president of the
Thunderbird Angel Network
and a longtime fixture in the
Phoenix venture capital and
angel investment community.
“This is an important niche,
as entrepreneurial companies
have created the majority of
jobs in the United States in
the last two decades and have
been powerful wealth creators
for the communities in which
they are based.”
To learn more
E-mail the network at
thunderbirdangelnetwork@
gmail.com.
TIM CLARKE
Global Leadership
for Global Impact
VISION 2020: PRIORITY 1
Leveraging our Unique Strengths:
Thunderbird’s unique approach to global leadership
conveys a strong competitive advantage. To meet growing
global demand for our expertise, we will build on this
advantage by (i) staying true to our foundational beliefs, (ii)
investing in our academic core, (iii) enhancing our unique
multi-disciplinary learning environment, (iv) building our financial
base, and (v) strengthening our thought leadership at the
nexus of global business, global affairs and global leadership.
LEARN MORE AT THUNDERBIRD.EDU/2020DU/2020
thunderbird magazine 11