21CL was instrumental in shaping my leadership style. It taught me to lead with inquiry, empathy, and a strong sense of humanity, but most importantly, as a team player. My collaborative leadership style is a direct result of working intensively on group projects at 21CL, where teamwork and support led to great outcomes.
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You and your network are invited to this leadership summit designed for and by young professionals. That’s right, this leadership development opportunity isn’t for our high school students, but for young professionals eager to take their leadership development to the next level while supporting a good cause.
In honor of our 35th anniversary, our Alumni Board is hosting this professional and leadership development and networking opportunity while raising support for our programs and our sustainability campaign. Did we mention, you’ll get a professional headshot as your takeaway!?
Take your leadership to the next level and dive into the following topics with industry leaders:
All Young Professionals are invited to attend. You do not have to be a 21CL Alumni, but do have to be 18 years of age/graduated from high school or older.
One of my favorite lessons learned that I still apply personally and professionally is from the FISH philosophy. I learned, “even if we disagree, don’t make me wrong.” This means that there are always different perspectives and often not just one right answer or means to get something accomplished.
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Programs like 21CL are important because they expose students to diverse experiences, people, institutions, and perspectives that they may not receive within their own community. These programs promote post-secondary readiness while creating well-rounded individuals who can take on the world with just a little more confidence than the student who did not get the same exposure.
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I believe 21CL plays a pivotal role in the holistic development of the youth. They empower students by providing them with essential leadership skills, fostering self-confidence, and nurturing a sense of responsibility; students gain valuable experience in teamwork, communication, and problem-solving, all of which are fundamental aspects of effective leadership.
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For our 35th anniversary, we’ll be sharing the stories of 35 alumni showcasing the leaders they are today and how 21st Century Leaders inspired and impacted their journey. Alumni will represent the 3.5 decades since our founding in 1989 – the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. Take a read and be inspired!
1990’s Decade
Name: Ben Bryant
H.S. Grad Year: Class of 1999
High School: Chamblee Charter High School
College: Washington & Lee University (BA); The George Washington University (MA, Legislative Affairs); Mercer University (JD)
Current Role: Vice President & Sr. Division Counsel for Financial Services and Marketing, InComm Payments | State Board Member, Technical College System of Georgia
How has your career unfolded and how did participating in 21CL help prepare you for your next steps going to college, taking on a new leadership role in community/college and after?
Professionally, I serve as Vice President & Senior Division Counsel for Financial Services and Marketing at InComm Payments, a global fintech and payments company headquartered here in Atlanta. Prior to joining the legal field, I spent three years working on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. I also serve on the State Board for the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), a role I’ve had the privilege of serving in since 2013.
As memory serves, I participated in three summers of the 21CL program back in the mid-to-late 1990s, which at the time was a single week of summer camp offered at Atlanta Christian College. One of the biggest takeaways for me from 21CL was coming to truly understand the importance of networking and the ability to find common ground in the moment with a wide array of individuals. The ability to communicate and make connections with the individuals we encounter daily is such a valuable skill whether it be interviewing for college or for a job, or in the workplace itself. Programs like 21CL serve as excellent incubators for developing these skills in a no-pressure environment.
What’s your memorable or ‘aha’ moment during your time at 21CL?
(Particular program, meeting a professional and diverse peer, speaking in public for the first time, etc.)
One of my favorite memories from my time participating in 21CL was the exercise where students formed teams to run our own small businesses in competition against one another in selling snacks and drinks to program participants. It was an incredibly fun and educational exercise allowing students to develop and hone a variety of skills including business strategy, marketing, and salesmanship. I also have memories of visits to Atlanta-area businesses, etiquette dinners, volunteering, and a talent show or two. Thankfully my time in 21CL predates smartphones, so hopefully no video footage exists from the talent shows – I definitely participated in one of the step shows Kyle Wingfield mentioned in his alumni spotlight and I imagine I don’t look quite as talented as I thought I did at the time (and certainly less talented than my 21CL colleague Carl, who was the drum major at Cedar Grove High School at the time…).
Did 21CL assist you in developing a leadership style that makes you an effective leader? If so, how?
My leadership style is one of collaboration, consensus, and camaraderie. I strongly believe that we’re better when we work together, fostering an environment of inclusivity where everyone not only feels like a part of the team, but is proud of the team and happy to be a part of it. Each of us brings different skills and perspectives to the table based on our backgrounds and experiences, and when we work together to craft solutions to the problems we face, we create better outcomes for all involved. Participating in 21st Century Leaders absolutely advanced my belief in the power of collaboration. This is something I get to put into practice as co-chair of InComm’s DE&I Council, as well as through my involvement in activities outside of my professional career, such as Scouting, TCSG, and various other community organizations.
Why do you believe programs like 21CL are important? And what advice would you give to a current or future student?
Programs like 21CL are important for several reasons. First, they provide an outlet for students who are likely already leaders in their respective schools and communities to grow their leadership skills alongside like-minded peers. Second, they afford students the opportunity to enhance their communication skills, which are critically important to future success in college and beyond. Other than Scouting, I can’t think of another program that helps students develop skills in effectively communicating with adults, a skill which is lacking in many youths that don’t regularly have the opportunity to engage with adults outside of the rigid student-teacher context. Third, these programs help students improve their networking skills, not only among high school peers, but among adults in a business setting. While the old mantra “it’s not what you know, but who you know,” is not entirely accurate, there is certainly some truth to the saying, and you’ll find at every step of your career it helps to know people. The good news for today’s participants, is that you have much more of an ability to stay connected to your fellow participants than we did in the dark ages before social media existed!
Finally, and most important from my perspective (and this echoes what fellow alumni Brandi H. and Kyle W, both of whom I attended 21CL camps with, shared in their spotlights) the program brings together a diverse group of individuals from all across the state, giving participants the opportunity to appreciate, respect, and ultimately learn from the perspective of others. As far as advice, I would encourage current and future students to step outside of their comfort zones and place themselves in situations that afford the opportunity to learn and grow alongside a diverse mix of individuals at every step of their educational and professional careers.
Share the Inspiration!
For our 35th anniversary, we’ll be sharing the stories of 35 alumni showcasing the leaders they are today and how 21st Century Leaders inspired and impacted their journey. Alumni will represent the 3.5 decades since our founding in 1989 – the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. Take a read and be inspired!
1990’s Decade
Name: Kyle Wingfield
H.S. Grad Year: Class of 1997
High School: Dalton High School
College: University of Georgia
Current Role: President and CEO, Georgia Public Policy Foundation
How has your career unfolded and how did participating in 21CL help prepare you for your next steps going to college, taking on a new leadership role in community/college and after?
After my time in 21st Century Leaders (21CL) (high school class of 1997), I graduated from the University of Georgia and pursued a career in journalism that took me to the Associated Press, the Wall Street Journal and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, including 4.5 years overseas in Belgium. In 2018, I changed careers and became CEO of an Atlanta-based think tank called the Georgia Public Policy Foundation. Looking back, I can see clear ways that my participation in 21CL helped me. For example, I became more comfortable speaking not only in front of groups, but also one-on-one with adult business executives. I also learned a lot about different personality types and how people within those various types see the world differently. And just generally, I would say 21CL was a key part in helping a small-town boy like me see a much larger world and understand more possibilities.
What’s your memorable or ‘aha’ moment during your time at 21CL? (Particular program, meeting a professional and diverse peer, speaking in public for the first time, etc.)
While I had a racially diverse group of friends growing up, my hometown overall was not a hugely diverse place during my childhood – although that has changed significantly over time. 21CL was an experience that helped me learn what it’s like to be among people of diverse backgrounds: not only in the small group that I might choose, but in a broader sense as well. I remember things like a member of the staff team one year teaching us in the evenings about step shows. Of course, we found that we had more things in common than not, but being exposed to some of the differences gave me a comfort level as well as an awareness that helped me be a better citizen of my surroundings as my surroundings changed.
Did 21CL assist you in developing a leadership style that makes you an effective leader? If so, how?
I try to lead by example and by consensus: I model the behavior I expect from my team, and I seek their buy-in for important decisions or changes. The exercises, discussions and experiences in 21CL contributed to those elements of my leadership style.
Why do you believe programs like 21CL are important? And what advice would you give to a current or future student?
Whether one grows up in a small town or an urban area, young people tend to take a more constrictive view of the world than they may realize. They are largely limited by their observations and experiences. That applies to their horizons, which dictate how they view opportunities and possibilities. But it also applies to their self-conception: They may believe they are only what they have been, which is shaped by the people and influences they’ve known. Today’s technologies may broaden their opportunities to know more people and influences than those nearby – for better and for worse – but young people still need ways to try out new versions of themselves in constructive, nurturing environments. I firmly believe programs like 21CL allow them to do just that, because these programs let them break out of the molds that have built up around them. These programs are opportunities for what we might call positive rebelliousness: going against what they’ve always known and been, but in ways that build them up rather than put them at risk.
Inspired? Share this story with your network.
For our 35th anniversary, we’ll be sharing the stories of 35 alumni, showcasing the leaders they are today and how 21st Century Leaders inspired and impacted their journey. Alumni will represent the 3.5 decades since our founding in 1989 – the 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, and 2020s. Take a read and be inspired!
1990’s Decade
Name: Brandi Harrison
H.S. Grad Year: Class of 1997
High School: H.V Jenkins High School
College: Brenau University
Current Role: Owner, Launch Pointe Productions
How has your career unfolded and how did participating in 21CL help prepare you for your next steps going to college, taking on a new leadership role in community/college and after?
I first participated in 21CL almost 30 years ago, and that experience continues to impact my career! Being exposed to business at an early age has meant I’ve always been comfortable stepping into board rooms, giving presentations to senior management, and building teams to succeed at a task. In my first position as an Associate Producer, I understood how to communicate well with my co-workers and manager because of the team challenges we were given in 21CL. Later, when I became a Director of Operations with direct reports, I knew how to set a clear vision for my team because of the leadership skills I had learned. And now, as an entrepreneur with 3 successful businesses with my husband, I’m not sure I would have had the courage to take on this challenge without having experienced success doing uncomfortable challenges with 21CL. The programs at 21st Century Leaders do an amazing job of honing in on the skills of the individual, while making you focus on the success of the group. It’s only now, looking back at my career, that I can connect the dots!
What’s your memorable or ‘aha’ moment during your time at 21CL? (Particular program, meeting a professional and diverse peer, speaking in public for the first time, etc.)
I spent two amazing summers during high school at the Summer Business Academy. For a week each year, I was immersed in a challenging environment with a diverse group of incredibly smart students and a high expectation of excellence set by the instructors. From trust falls to group projects, the time I spent with these other young adults was truly rewarding. During the second summer, as I was a rising senior, we were broken into groups and given a real business challenge at the start of the week. By the end of the week, we would need to present our solution to the professionals. Every minute that we weren’t sleeping, we were working on our presentation, tweaking after we learned new concepts in sessions throughout the week. Nerves were high when we arrived at the corporate location that morning. While I can’t tell you a single thing about the business challenge, I vividly remember stepping into the board room knowing that I belonged there and had something important to say. I’ve carried that memory with me, anchoring to it when needed in both big and small moments of my career.
Did 21CL assist you in developing a leadership style that makes you an effective leader? If so, how?
21CL was the first place that I learned about leadership styles! Understanding how I naturally lead and communicate was empowering. And then being able to adjust to styles needed by my team felt like magic! My whole career has been focused around building the right team for the project and effectively leading that team can be pivotal to its success.
Why do you believe programs like 21CL are important? And what advice would you give to a current or future student?
21CL bridges the gap in education for students to really learn about themselves and how their uniqueness can translate to success in college, their careers, and being a positive impact to their community. Even as a high performing magnet school student, there was no other place that I received this level of exposure to possibilities and focused internal growth. In order to meet the needs of future challenges, we need to teach the next generation the skills that they will need. And 21CL is essential to that process.
My advice for students attending the program is to push and challenge yourself to take on the leadership role that feels uncomfortable. Talk to the students you don’t think you have anything in common with. What feels awkward now could be a key to your success!
Inspired? Share this story with your network.
21CL Alumna Sara Gard is our first alumni spotlight for 2022. A graduate of Norcross High School (1999) and of Trinity University (2003), Sara is a wife and mother of two young children and currently works as the Manager of Talent and Organizational Development at APCO Holdings. In this post, she shares about how the reality check she had during her 21st Century Leaders days helped to get to a juncture she is at now where what she loves doing, what she’s good at doing, and what her company is glad to pay her for doing converge!
Paint a brief picture of what you are doing now.
I am the Manager of Talent and Organizational Development, which is part of the Human Resources function for APCO Holdings. We work in the automotive Finance & Insurance industry. In my current role, I manage processes like talent requisition, training and professional skills enhancement, career pathing, and compensation planning. Additionally, I am the volunteer leader of our Diversity & Inclusion Council. APCO has decided to move to a permanently hybrid work model, so I split my time between my home office and my “office office.” This flexibility has been extremely important for maintaining my lifestyle – I have a husband and two young kids (ages 6 and almost 4).
As a manager of processes, I spend a lot of time thinking, planning, and organizing independently. I do a lot of research and reading so that I stay aware of current trends and hopefully ahead of our competitors. Even though APCO is a 35-year-old company, we have an entrepreneurial attitude, so we’re constantly striving to be the disruptor for our industry rather than responding to the latest disruption. It makes for a fast-paced, exciting work environment. It can be tiring, but also very rewarding.
Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family, reading, cross-stitching, and when my kids are fully vaccinated I look forward to traveling again.
I grew up thinking that my life experience was similar to everyone else’s, and 21st Century Leaders was one of my first opportunities to interact on a deep level with people who grew up very differently. My suburban, upper-middle class life was completely different from my 21CL peers, who came from urban, rural, privileged, and disadvantaged lives. It made me want to expand my personal definition of success, and put success within reach for as many people as possible. My career took a few detours, but when I found my way into Talent Management, I realized that it was what I was always searching for. Now, I am allowed to feed my spirit by making a positive difference in the lives of fellow employees while I make a positive business difference and get paid for it. A previous boss used to call it “finding your sweet spot” – I am at the juncture where what I love doing, what I’m good at doing, and what my company is glad to pay me for doing converge. If I hadn’t had the reality check of 21st Century Leaders, I’m not sure I would have made the right choices, done the hard work, and invested in the skills and experiences that have brought me to this place, this “sweet spot”.
Which programs did you participate in? How did the skills/tools/perspectives you acquired from 21CL prepare you for your next steps, going into college, taking on new leadership roles in your community, college and after?
I was in 21CL way back in 1997, when we only had the summer on-campus program available. I remember staying in the dorms, taking day trips to various businesses, hearing from business leaders, and learning from my peers in the group. This was my first introduction to “instant team,” or a group of strangers who are grouped and given an objective, and you don’t really get a choice in the matter. In college and in business, these groups happen frequently, and rarely are we in control of who is in our group or how quickly we must learn to get along. I thought I would be the most knowledgeable, correct, and dynamic in any situation, but at 21CL, I learned that I was only a big fish in my little pond. The slice of humble pie was a healthy reminder.
What was a memorable or ‘aha’ moment in 21CL? (a particular program, meeting a professional and diverse peers, speaking in public for the first time, etc..)
My “aha” moment actually came after 21CL, but was directly related. I met a really cool leader at 21CL named Ebony. She was from the Valdosta area, and I knew which high school she attended. Not long after 21CL, maybe the next week, I went to the Governor’s Honor Program at Valdosta State University, and my roommate was from the same high school. The roommate and I didn’t get along very well, but we were polite to one another. At nearly the end of the 6-week GHP program, the roommate and I had what felt like a breakthrough in our relationship, and I asked her if she would say “hi” to Ebony for me when she got back to school. I will never forget her looking at me and saying, “No. I do not speak to her. She is black, and I am a racist.”
I had lived in the same room as someone who couldn’t see the value of people past the color of their skin, and in that moment I didn’t know what to do. I think I said, “Oh.”
That moment defined something in me. It forced me to realize that no matter how hard I wanted the world to be one way, every person is experiencing this life differently. Some of us are experiencing this life in such a way that we think others’ experiences are less worthy. That has helped to fuel my desire to work for companies and in a capacity that affirms the worth of every life experience, allowing for each individual to choose their path, their goals, and their own definition of success. I take the greatest satisfaction when I am part of the company’s actions and programs that lead to positive change for the most inclusive group of employees possible. It feels like putting dreams within reach and doing important work.
Did 21CL assist you in developing a leadership style that makes you an effective leader? if so how? And have you recently learned something else about leadership? Please share!
I’ve already admitted that it was a long time ago when I was in 21CL, and I have changed and developed as a person and a leader in ways that would make me of today unrecognizable to that version of me. These days, I teach leaders about leadership, and I put my knowledge of leadership into practice in my own life. One big leadership lesson that is easy to implement was taught to me by Gerald Rakestraw. He is a Senior VP-level leader at a former employer, and I asked him one day to send an email regarding an issue that he was the voice of authority on. When he declined, he told me, “Sara, my voice is too loud for this issue. You have to know when your voice is the right volume for the message.”
As leaders, each of us has a certain volume to our voice. When the title is “Coordinator,” the volume is much quieter than when the title is “Senior Vice President.” What I needed to understand in that moment was that if Gerald said it, the issue would be made larger than necessary, with a spotlight shone on it, and our colleagues wondering who had caused the issue in the first place and what the fallout might be. There would be no room for error on the issue, and definitely no more discussion. This is because when the loudest person speaks, the discussion is over. In that instance, the message needed to be handled discreetly, at a softer volume and a more limited audience.
The chairman of the board at that time knew he had the “loudest” voice in the entire organization, which meant that he rarely spoke in meetings, and if he did it was always when the meeting was about to end. That style of leadership, knowing one’s own authority and making careful use of it, has molded me as a leader. It is an effectiveness tool that I enjoy sharing with others. In short, know the value of your own voice, and only speak when necessary.
21CL Alumna Dr. Alisa Valentin is our second spotlight for December 2021. A graduate of Tift County High School (2008), she received a B.S in Telecommunications from the University of Florida (2011), an M.S. in Journalism from Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University (2013), and her Ph.D in Communications from Howard University (2018). She currently works as Special Advisor to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at The Federal Communications Commission. In this post, Dr. Alisa Valentin shares about how participating in 21CL’s summer leadership institute helped shape her career!
Paint a brief picture of what you are doing now.
I am the Special Advisor to Commissioner Geoffrey Starks at the Federal Communications Commission in Washington, D.C. I work on broadband access and adoption, prison phone justice, and future of work policies that center on low-income and communities of color. We are a small but mighty team so I do everything from drafting speeches to providing technical assistance on legislation to Congressional staffers to organizing events with stakeholders in the tech policy community. I love being involved in the constantly evolving tech space because these issues impact everyone across the country and the globe.
How did participating in 21CL transform you and lead you to where you are now?
The 21CL summer program I participated in solidified my interest in journalism and communications before my senior year of high school. My participation in this program led me to major in Telecommunications at the University of Florida which was then followed by an M.S. in Journalism from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, and later a Ph.D. in Communications from Howard University. I have said many times that I have 21CL to thank for my career in tech policy.
Which programs did you participate in? How did the skills/tools/perspectives you acquired from 21CL prepare you for your next steps, going into college, taking on new leadership roles in your community, college and after?
I participated in the Leadership Unplugged: a CNN Experience (now called the WarnerMedia Institute for Future Leaders) in 2007. During that time I learned the importance of preparation, creativity, and thinking on my feet, which has served me well throughout college, graduate school, and throughout my career.
What was a memorable or ‘aha’ moment in 21CL? (Particular program, meeting a professional and diverse peers, speaking in public for the first time, etc.?)
During the 21CL Summer Leadership Institute, we attended workshops and panels featuring television anchors, producers and senior executives. These guests led discussions on media and ethics, business etiquette and diversity in media. But what stands out the most is the diverse talent throughout the state of Georgia including rural Georgia that 21CL brought together. I can remember doing a group interview for the program at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in my hometown of Tifton, Georgia. I think it’s incredible how 21CL focused on cultivating talent from communities of color as well as communities outside of the Atlanta metropolitan area.
Did 21CL assist you in developing a leadership style that makes you an effective leader? if so how? And have you recently learned something else about leadership? Please share!
During my summer program with 21CL, we were placed in teams to pitch an idea to CNN for an article about technology’s effect on the world. That process taught me how to collaborate with people you don’t know well to achieve a shared goal. I learned that the person who may appear to be the quietest can have the best ideas so it’s important to ask everyone if they have something to contribute. On that same note, I believe an effective leader is someone who recognizes that a good idea is a good idea regardless of a person’s title, degree-level, or seniority. I think that this speaks to the age-old saying of treating the janitor with the same level of respect as the CEO. What I know to be true in the policy space specifically is that we must do a better job of centering the voices at the margins that don’t have megaphones and that principle guides my work.