On October 4, the Lilly Family School of Philanthropy will welcome its first speaker in the Diversity Speaker Series, sponsored by the Mays Family Institute on Diverse Philanthropy.
Dr. Helene Gayle served as CEO of CARE and CEO of the McKinsey Social Initiative before assuming her current role as CEO of The Chicago Community Trust, one of the largest community foundations in the country.
Dr. Una Osili, assistant dean for research and international programs and professor of economics, will interview Dr. Gayle about her experiences in a talk titled “The Urgency of Inclusion: Philanthropy in All Our Communities.” Here, Dr. Osili shares some of the key topics she will discuss with Dr. Gayle.
Leadership
“Dr. Gayle has held multiple different leadership positions, including leading the international nonprofit CARE and working to drive social change at the global level while also focusing on change at the community level with Chicago Community Trust.
“She’s served on corporate and nonprofit boards including The Coca-Cola Company, Colgate-Palmolive Company, the Rockefeller Foundation, Brookings Institution, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, New America, and the ONE Campaign. She’s also been included on lists like Forbes 100 Most Powerful Women. Her leadership can inspire others, whether it’s students at the school or practitioners working in the field, to find their own place in the philanthropic community.”
Social Change and Impact
“Social change has been a common theme across all of Dr. Gayle’s roles. While at CARE, she made the decision that to combat poverty, you have to address the needs of women in the community. As a result, she shifted CARE’s work to focus on those needs.
“As a physician, she understands the health and well-being of people and organizations, but she has a wealth of experience and knowledge about gender and how investing in women can lead to long-term improvements in economic opportunities for communities. She knows how to identify an issue, develop a strategy around that idea, and use a sustainable approach to drive change and build community.”
Diversity
“We believe that Dr. Gayle will help shape the dialogue in terms of what it means to be leader and what it means to bring issues of diversity and inclusion into the work that we do.”
Local and Global Perspectives
“To have the opportunity to hear from someone who has held important roles at the helm of both global and local organizations and who is able to tie those together in different ways can benefit many individuals.
“Whether it’s a board member or a student who’s trying to carve out a career path, we can all learn something from her leadership journey.”
Learn more and RSVP to Dr. Gayle’s lecture at Newfields
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