Dear Leadership Austin family and friends, I am so pleased to be the new Board Chair and I look forward to serving in this exciting and challenging time in Austin. It’s a privilege to be a part of such an exceptional organization. Please allow me…
Nobody’s perfect. We’re all human. We all make mistakes. These words from our mothers and fathers, teachers and clergy resound in our memory. Things happen. What happens next is the true measure of leadership. How long does it take to identify and correct a mistake?…
By: Elizabeth McGuire Leadership Austin’s incoming board chair, Debbie Johnson, wasn’t born in Texas, but as the popular bumper sticker says, she got here as fast as she could. Turns out it was a quick 20 years. When the native Nebraskan first met her husband…
By Elizabeth McGuire Former Mayor Lee Leffingwell is the rare breed of native Austinite who doesn’t pine for the good old days. Instead he embraces the growth and changes of his hometown and seems to keep the big (and increasingly bigger) picture in mind. Born…
Anyone who lives within the sphere of influence of the City of Austin probably knows the new City Council in 2015 made its first order of business the encouragement of greater public input. Committees have been formed, a new website launched and public hearings held…
By Elizabeth McGuire Emily Ramshaw admits she is more comfortable on the other side of the interview. As a seasoned reporter and current editor of The Texas Tribune, she is typically the one asking questions. But she made an exception for Leadership Austin and gave…
By Elizabeth McGuire Two weeks into his new job as Chief of Staff for Mayor Steve Adler, John-Michael Cortez‘s office showed clear signs of a recent occupant. The walls and bookshelves were bare except for a few colorful drawings from his young daughter. Cortez explained…
