District of Columbia, United States Dec 7, 2018 (Issuewire.com) - Leading institute dedicated to inspiring and cultivating the next generation of morally and civic-minded global leaders honor influential President and co-founder Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner and pay tribute to 14 extraordinary women for their support and commitment to the Skinner Leadership Institute in developing new generations of social justice leaders.
The Skinner Leadership Institute (SLI) Board of Directors marked its 25th Anniversary on November 29, with a legacy celebration at the Liaison Capitol Hill Hotel in Washington, DC. Hundreds turned out to honor SLI’s influential President and co-founder, Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner and her late husband Rev. Tom Skinner and pay tribute to 14 extraordinary women for their support and commitment to the Skinner Leadership Institute and new generations of leaders.
“As we mark this milestone, the need for moral leadership with the skills and empathy that are required to unite all segments of our nation and to make a positive difference in our world has never felt more important,” said Skinner Leadership Institute President and co-founder Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner. “We are proud of the courage our alumni show in advancing personally while leading change by empowering the underserved and building bridges across every human barrier. They are committed to no longer accepting the world as it is, but rather working towards what it could be.”
The 25th Anniversary Legacy Celebration was sponsored by Toyota and the Coca-Cola company and co-chaired by Pastor John K. Jenkins, Sr., Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Glenarden, Maryland and Ms. Lori George Billingsley, Global Chief Diversity and Inclusion Officer, from the Coca-Cola company.
The celebration brought together some of the nation’s most notable faith and policy leaders including Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes, III, Senior Pastor, Friendship-West Baptist Church, Dallas, Texas, and Dr. David Anderson, Founder and Senior Pastor, Bridgeway Community Church, and founder and President of the BridgeLeader Network and featured entertaining, moving and compelling stories of faith, hope, and love. The emcees were Ms. Chanelle Hardy, Counsel of Strategic Outreach and External Partnerships at Google and Pro Football Hall-of-Famer Mr. Darrell Green. Other highlights included performances by Yolanda Adams, the multi-GRAMMY Award-winning gospel artist.
The event exceeded both attendance and fundraising goals, with monies raised in support of its Masters Series for Distinguished Leaders (MSDL), a program for moving talented African American middle managers, ages 25-45, to the next levels of their lives and careers while serving those less fortunate; and its Masters Series for Distinguished Clergy (MDC), a program that equips clergy as effective public policy advocates for the underserved. Both SLI leadership development programs are year-round and are aimed at accelerating the social, political, and economic impact of its nearly 200 alumni around the world.
SLI Board Chairman Pastor John K. Jenkins, Sr., said, "Over the last 25 years, the Skinner Leadership Institute has become a significant factor in the conduct of religious and civic-minded clergy, executives and diplomats who are leading change on issues of poverty and social justice. These distinguished leaders are influencing communities around the world with the lessons they learned through the Skinner Leadership Institute programs. The role of SLI will increase even more in the next 25 years given the challenges we face here and abroad and the solutions we are helping to find."
25th Anniversary Skinner Leadership Institute’s Women of Honor
- The Honorable Sheila Jackson Lee, United States House of Representatives; Chair, Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, Inc. Board of Directors
- The Honorable Barbara Lee, United States House of Representatives
- The Honorable Alexis Herman, 23rd United States Secretary of Labor
- The Honorable Eleanor Holmes Norton, United States House of Representatives
- Mrs. Cora Masters Barry, Founder, and CEO of the Recreation Wish List Committee
- Ms. Melanie Campbell, President, and CEO of the National Coalition on Black Civic Participation and Convener of the Black Women’s Roundtable Public Policy Network
- Dr. Johnnetta Betsch Cole, Chair and President of the National Council of Negro Women
- Reverend Dr. Cynthia Hale, Founding, and Senior Pastor, Ray of Hope Christian Church ~ Decatur, Georgia.
- Ms. Chanelle Hardy, Counsel of Strategic Outreach and External Partnerships, Google
- Pastor Leversie Johnson, Co-founder, Greater Life Foursquare Church, San Francisco, California
- Mrs. Ingrid Saunders Jones, Immediate past Chair of the National Council of Negro Women
- The Honorable Constance Berry Newman, Former United States Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs
- Ms. Susan L. Taylor, Best-selling author, former Editor-in-Chief of Essence Magazine
- Mrs. Rosemary Trible, Founder of Fear 2 Freedom (F2F), Author.
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ABOUT THE SKINNER LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE
The Skinner Leadership Institute was founded in 1992 by Dr. Barbara Williams-Skinner, former Executive Director of the Congressional Black Caucus, and her late husband, the Reverend Tom Skinner. The Institute seeks to produce morally and professionally excellent, civic-minded executive leaders through coaching and training. Learn more about the Institute at www.skinnerleaders.org.
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