Leadership Training Designed to Cross the Boundary from Good to Great

“There is always room to grow.”

That’s the way Latrice Little-Jackson, Chief Operating Officer at Girls Inc. of Central Alabama and 23-year veteran of the organization, summed up her reason for being part of United Way of Central Alabama’s (UWCA) first LEARN United cohort.

LEARN United, which stands for Leadership Education and Readiness for Nonprofits, is an ongoing UWCA initiative that began last year to sharpen the skillset of nonprofit staff. This cohort is an intensive 12-week program designed to strengthen the leadership skills of managers from 12 United Way partner agencies.

At each of six sessions during those 12 weeks, participants will receive training in coaching, staff development and mastering relationship skills. Additionally, each of the participants will engage in educational exercises with their own executive director.

The program was designed by Kathy Boswell, CEO of B.Intentional. Boswell previously served as Executive Vice President of Community and Volunteer Engagement for The World Games 2022 Birmingham. With decades of experience in outreach, as well as employee training and experience, she has a wealth of knowledge to share with participants.

“People will always tell you, ‘I’m ready to lead.’ But are you worthy enough to be followed? That is one of the primary things that I have learned throughout all my leadership roles,” Boswell said. “That worthiness matters more than any other leadership skills.”

Through participating in this first cohort of LEARN United, Little-Jackson said she is excited to learn from Boswell, as well as the other participants, how to further strengthen her ability to manage the countless things she is responsible for at Girls Inc.

Jenny Terrell is the Director of Children’s Services at the Arc of Shelby County. She’s worked for the organization for more than 15 years. Terrell said nonprofit leaders have wildly different concerns from leaders at for-profit entities. Those unusual problems can often make people feel isolated from others doing similar work, she said.

“Sitting in that room with 11 other participants from all different types of organizations, I heard that they are having some of the same struggles that my organization faces,” Terrell said. “It makes me feel better to know that we all struggle with similar things because we are all here to serve our community.”

Terrell and others from her organization have already participated in a number of LEARN United training opportunities. Each of those trainings, Terrell said, has proven valuable for the Arc of Shelby County. As she said, “United Way is not only offering good training that we can actually take out and use in the world, but also covering the cost of these training opportunities.”