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Member Spotlight

Leah Sumners-York, CAE

As the most recent ISAE member to earn her CAE, in fact the only person in the state of Indiana to do so from the May 2010 CAE exam it only seemed proper to recognize Leah as the September Member Spotlight! Leah has been an active member and dedicated volunteer in ISAE for the past 7 years. Leah has served on various committees including her 2010 commitment as the Chair of the Professional Development Committee.

Aside from her part time position as a volunteer for ISAE Leah is a member of the staff at the Indiana Perinatal Network. She plays an integral role in the team of the 9 staff members. Leah has worked at Indiana Perinatal Network for a little over 8 years working her way up from Office Manager to Administrative Director to her current role as the Director of Operations. In her current role Leah is responsible for the management of the organization, which includes financial and grant management, human resources, product and service development, business compliance and strategic planning. The Indiana Perinatal Network exists to lead Indiana to improve the health of all mothers and babies. They bring about change by educating professionals, raising consumer awareness and spearheading public policy. The organization serves170 individual members and 21 organizational members and does so with an annual budget of $840,000

The organization has grown substantially over the years and with their growth has come improved products and services. The organization has not gone unrecognized for their dedication to their mission. In recent years they have received numerous awards for their advances to the industry including: 2010 IBJ health Care Heroes Finalist for Community Achievement in Health Care, 2009 & 2008 ISAE STAR Award of Excellence for Community/Philanthropic Program, 2008 ISAE STAR Award of Excellence for Newsletter/Bulletin, 2007 Postpartum Support International The Jane Honikman Award for outstanding contribution to the goal of increasing awareness of emotional health related to childbearing.

With all success come challenges and the Indiana Perinatal Network is no exception. Leah stated the biggest challenge that the organization is currently facing as attempting to increase their non-grant revenue to ensure the sustainability of the organization. In 2009 86% of their revenue came from grants. Their concerns are supported by the instability of the grantors' budgets over the past couple of years. They are looking to increase membership and product and service sales to off set the grant contributions. In her own position Leah's feels that her largest challenge currently is cultivating relationships. Knowledge and processes can be easily learned and perfected but mastering the art of gaining and maintaining positive relationships with fellow employees and professional and organizational partners takes a lot of ongoing practice and commitment.

Leah isn't all work and no play! She was recently married in December and he husband is a sixth grade teacher in the Indianapolis Public Schools. According to Leah he loves the impact he's able to make there and wouldn't think of teaching anywhere else.  They have three children, ages 11, 12 and 13, one boy and two girls, and life is beginning to get very interesting with three tweens.  They live in her hometown of Carmel, IN and enjoy attending events in the community and spending time with Leah's family, who still live close-by.

Busy with family, work and school, she doesn't get much time these days to pursue her interests which include art, gardening and music.  A little fact that most don't know about Leah is that she is actually a pretty talented pianist and cellist and hopes to perform with an orchestra again someday.

Leah is glad that her journey has taken her where it has and truly enjoys the association/non-profit arena. She still not exactly sure of her professional end-goal but her exposure to other professionals at school is confirming her fit in the nonprofit and association arena.  Healthcare and the arts are particularly interesting to her.  Leah feels that the education she is receiving along with the experience she continues to gain in her current position are preparing her for a leadership role on a larger scale and is looking forward to the challenges that lie ahead.

Lastly Leah answered a few questions about her journey that led her to serve in the capacity that she does:

Q: Where did you go to college? Major?

A: I received a Bachelor of Science from Indiana University, Bloomington and I am currently working on my Master of Business Administration at the University of Indianapolis.

Q: How did you get to where you are today?

A: Any success I've experienced can be attributed to my solid educational background, a persistent drive to learn and meaningful mentor relationships.

Q: What is the most important thing that you have learned by working for a non-profit association? Did you choose association work or fall into it?

A: Returning to the workforce after staying home for three years with my son, I looked for a management position where I could capitalize on my financial business experience. While I wasn't particularly looking for a career in the nonprofit or association industry at the time, it certainly has proven to be a valuable experience. Learning how to work collaboratively is a skill I'm still developing that I think is the key to future success. At times it can be almost painful to work as a team because of varying personalities and perspectives, but what I've discovered is that it's a character-building process and in the end, the group is more personally invested in the project and the work-product is always better than if any of us had done it on our own.

Q: What is your most recent accomplishment?

A: My most recent professional accomplishment is achieving the CAE designation. What I'm most proud of at the moment, however, is beginning graduate school earlier this year. Being a student again, after fifteen years, was intimidating to think about. It's so fulfilling to finally realize a life-long goal.

Q: Why are you an ISAE member?

A: There are so many reasons to maintain my membership with ISAE. I continue to gain professional knowledge and have opportunities to give back to my profession. The best value I've found, though, is in the networking and shared knowledge. A few days ago, I sent an email out to a handful of colleagues I've met through ISAE, asking for input about a particular topic. Within a few minutes I had several responses, sharing experience, suggestions, and referrals. That email saved me several days of research. In turn, I've responded to similar requests for information. When we look at multigenerational differences, I've seen a general lack of interest and value placed on professional networking by the Millennials. I know it takes time and is sometimes uncomfortable in contrived networking "sessions", but we never know who's going to give us the information we need, the discount our organization will thank us for, or even our next job. Making connections which benefit ourselves and others is really the most valuable tool we have for growing our organization and our careers.

Thank you to Leah for taking the time to participate as this month's Member Spotlight.