Formal Investiture Ceremony of U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, June 17, 2015

On Wednesday June 17, 2015 at the historic Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C., U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch was formally sworn* into office by Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor using a bible once owned by slave abolitionist, Frederick Douglass. She is the 83rd individual and the first African American woman to take the oath of office as the chief law enforcement officer of the United States. At the ceremony, Mrs. Lynch was flanked by President Barack Obama, her husband Stephen Hargrove, and her parents, Reverend Lorenzo and Mrs. Lorine Lynch.   
 
Also on June 17, 2015, Attorney General Lynch became the first Attorney General to join Twitter. You may follow her at @LorettaLynch.
 

Video courtesy of C-SPAN.org

As President Barack Obama looks on, Attorney General
Loretta Lynch takes the Oath of Office administered by
Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor flanked by her husband,
Stephen Hargrove and her parents, Reverend Lorenzo and
Mrs. Lorine Lynch

Attorney General Lynch share a smile and light moment
with her mother, Mrs. Lorine Lynch.

*This was the second swearing in for Attorney General Lynch who was first administered the Oath of Office on April 27, 2015 by Vice President Joe Biden. According to the National Law Journal, "it is typical for attorneys general to also have a formal investiture ceremony at a larger venue so more spectators can attend."  Read more: http://www.nationallawjournal.com/legaltimes/id=1202729302127/Sotomayor-to-Swear-in-Lynch-as-Attorney-General#ixzz3dQusSrGw
 

Prayer...More Than Words

Lord, 

There are places where we are not able to go, so we send your Spirit. There are hearts that we cannot touch, so we pray for the power and comfort of the Holy Spirit to minister to them. We also pray for those that will have the opportunity to minister and pray for those who are in need and broken-hearted. Give them wisdom. Help them to minister in a spirit of love, truth and restoration. 

In the name of Jesus, Amen. (by Nona O.)



 

#‎WomenMakingHistory | ‬ Admiral Michelle J. Howard, 38th Vice Chief Of Naval Operations

I was on my way to catch the metro in downtown Washington, D.C. on Tuesday evening and came across a U.S. Navy Band Concert at the Naval Memorial. They were really good and I stopped in my tracks to hear them play and sing several songs. 

But guess what else happened? I met Admiral Michelle J. Howard, the 38th Vice Chief Of Naval Operations, a four-star Admiral. What an honor! Even as a civilian, I am very proud of her and her accomplishments. She is the highest ranking woman in the U.S. Navy and the first African American woman to become a four-star Admiral. 

We talked briefly as I told her how proud I was to meet her and that I had profiled her for the Women Making History Project. She was so gracious and took the time to ask me about my interests and background. That's the mark of a great leader. Genuinely interested in people. You can't fake that. ‪#‎LeadershipTuesdays‬

Nona O. for @womenatliberty/Women Making History

For a complete bio on Admiral Howard, see: http://www.navy.mil/navydata/bios/navybio.asp?bioID=394

#LeadershipTuesdays: Majority Rules Are Not Always Best...Leo Tolstoy

“Wrong does not cease to be wrong because the majority share in it.”

― Leo Tolstoy, A Confession

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today's Leadership Tuesdays will focus on the subject of business ethics. Our news headlines are filled with stories of individuals who have made bad decisions because of lapses in judgement and gotten caught in criminal investigations that led to trials and jail time. Some of the people are prominent politicians, some are corporate executives, and some are everyday people like you and me. As the author of today's featured article intimated, learning business ethics or ethical practices is an ongoing process. It's not easy to always make the right decision. If it was easy, everyone would be doing it.

However, when making any type of decision that may involve potential ethical violations, it helps to have a strong ethical foundation. Angelia White, the author of the blog, "5 Basic Business Ethics Tips", gives us a very practical definition of business ethics and great examples of how she approaches situations in the workplace as an employer, business owner, and leader. At the end of the article she gives advice on some tools that will help strengthen you in your practice of business ethics and help you protect yourself from those who would violate business ethics at your expense.

Angelia White is Publisher, President, and Chief Executive Officer of Hope for Women Magazine. Her passionate dedication towards the Magazine has been evolving for almost a decade. She has a background in publishing and is owner and president of Virtuous Publications, Inc., which serves as the Magazine’s publishing company. Angelia has over 20 years experience in business administration and is a business graduate of Ball State University.

To view today's article click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 

The Likeability Factor

"Too many people seek to establish trusting business relationships centering on likeability. I’m not suggesting that likeability isn’t good, only that it isn’t sufficient." --Scott Edinger

This SmartBlog on Leadership article by Scott Edinger, "Harnessing the power of your hidden leaders", really focuses on how executives can harness the power of these individuals in an organization. Hidden leaders are individuals who do not have a title or position of authority, but they are effective at getting things done because they know the right people or have great relationships within the organization. 

The aforementioned quote offers an important point to remember for those who are seeking to move up in an organization or business owners/entrepreneurs/sales people who are pursuing clients: Likeability is not enough to excel in an organization or get a client to make a business deal with you.

As I was typing this sentence, I stop mid-sentence to question whether this was really true.  Admittedly, this is not true for everyone in an organization, there are always some exceptions to the rule and some people do get promoted or get great assignments just because people like them. (Half-hearted reference to "The Wolf of Wall Street" movie) But for most of us, even with great technical skills and education, in order to excel in an organization or get people to buy from you, somebody in power has to like you. 

If you are the person looking to move up in leadership or attract new business opportunities, read the following article for advice on how you need to be perceived by managers/executives and clients. 

Nona O. (@womenatliberty)  
 

Harnessing The Power Of Your Hidden Leaders

By Scott Edinger

http://smartblogs.com/leadership

Leadership Tuesdays: Millennial Leaders...We Got Next!

If we stand tall it is because we stand on the shoulders of many ancestors.

--Yoruba Proverb

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. Today's Leadership Tuesdays' blog recognizes a few young African American leaders of this generation. In 2012, I was impressed with the activism of four young ladies who, in a matter of days, organized a march in Washington, D.C. to bring attention to the untimely death of seventeen year old Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. Heather Rasberry, Megan Goffney, Maliaka Mealy along with Yolanda Carr, their friend from Florida, combined social media, the communications tools of millennials, with the proven tactics of non-violent resistance--marching and speeches--to spark activism in another generation of young people. One thing that should be applauded about their March 2012 rally is the support they received from local community leaders like Rev. Tony Lee who answered their call and used his platform to promote the work the young ladies were doing. For more information on what these young ladies accomplished, click here.

Maliaka Mealy, Heather Rasberry, and Megan Goffney

Another brilliant young woman leader who has risen to prominence in the wake of protests related to the shooting death of Mike Brown by police officer, Darren Wilson, in Ferguson, Missouri is Brittany Packnett. Ms Packnett is a native of St. Louis and the Executive Director of Teach For America in St. Louis, Missouri. A graduate of Washington University located in her home town, she has also spent time in Washington, D.C. earning a Master of Arts degree in Teaching at American University. She taught third graders in South East Washington, D.C. as a Teach For America Fellow while working on her Master's degree. This energetic young lady also worked on Capitol Hill for U.S. Representative Lacy Clay (D-Missouri) whose legislative district includes Ferguson which is a part of St. Louis County. Ms. Packnett moved back to St. Louis in 2012 to lead the local Teach For America organization. In November 2014, she accepted an appointment by Governor Jay Nixon to the Ferguson Commission that has been tasked with addressing the systemic racial and economic issues in Ferguson. Their report is due in September 2015. She was also appointed by President Barack Obama to the Task Force on 21st Century Policing. To read Ms. Packnett's biography and learn more about her organization, click here. You can follow her on Twitter at @MsPackyetti.

Brittany Packnett

For more information on Leadership Tuesdays or WOMEN AT LIBERTY, click here. 

Nona O.

#LeadershipTuesdays Motivational Moment: My Resolve and Expectations…Ava Duvernay

In an interview with Fresh Air, Terry Gross asked Ava Duvernay, ‘Where do you go next? You’re going to have a lot more clout now as a film director.'

"I don’t know if I’m going to have more clout. There’s really no precedent for someone like me gaining clout in the space that I’m in…a black woman directing films in Hollywood. You know, no precedent for there being a black woman director who's gained any clout. Black women directors that make amazing beautiful things? Yes. I can name 50. Black women directors that have attained that kind of clout to be able to answer that question from a place of the privilege of having lots of options: I’m not so sure. We’ll see. It’ll be nice. But regardless, I’m going to keep on telling my stories. I’d be absolutely happy to go back and make a smaller picture. I never want to be….my choices to be dictated by budget. That’s one of the reasons why I take so much pride in being able to make films for two dollars and a paper clip. Because I can always get my hand on two dollars and a paper clip. I never have to ask for permission for that. And so I don’t know what the next step is gonna be, but I know that I’ll be doing what I was doing for the six years before this moment: constantly making something. You can call me at any time and ask me what I’m doing? I’ll tell you I’m making this right now. It’s about momentum for me. It’s about that artistic energy and constantly having my hands on a project. So, I don’t know what it’ll be but it’ll be something."* 

--Ava Duvernay, Award-winning director of the movie, Selma.

http://www.avaduvernay.com

Every other Tuesday, WOMEN AT LIBERTY provides a platform for a variety of voices and resources to develop, encourage, and strengthen women leaders. This month, in honor of Black History Month, we will highlight African American leaders who are making an impact or have made an impact in their respective fields. Today, Ava Duvernay, an award-winning director and film maker is featured. Last week, a courageous March 2014 TED talk on race by Mellody Hobson, President of Ariel Investments, was presented.

To view the video for last week's feature, click here. For more information on Leadership Tuesdays, click here. To hear the Fresh Air interview from which the above quote was taken, click the link below.

*The Sounds, Space and Spirit of Selma: A Director’s Take, AnInterview with Ava Duvernay by Terry Gross, Fresh Air, NPR, 1/08/2015