Dear PLEN Community,
I am excited to have joined PLEN as the new Executive Director and I want to thank everyone for the warm welcome I have received. I would especially like to thank Nancy Bocskor, the board, and the staff for their support and assistance in helping me transition into this position. Nancy’s knowledge and leadership has been invaluable during these past months when she served as the Interim Executive Director. I plan to continue her excellent work with your input, participation, and support.
As I step into this role, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and share a bit about my background and vision for PLEN.
My professional experiences are in higher education and leadership development. I have worked for the University of Maryland in various departments in both administrative and student facing roles. Most recently, I was the program manager for the Southern Management Leadership Program where I coordinated all major events for the program, managed a budget of over $1,000,000, and helped steward the program with their donors.
Most of my work has been serving underrepresented students including women, first-generation, minority and DACA students.
PLEN’s tagline, “Preparing Women to Lead”, perfectly encapsulates why I am excited to join PLEN. My career focus has been to help students who face additional barriers to success. Women still face additional barriers to top leadership positions, making up less than 30% of all elected officials in the United States.
Therefore, joining the only national nonprofit organization with the sole focus of preparing college women for leadership roles in public policy was a great opportunity. My goals for PLEN are to strengthen its relationships as the higher education landscape changes, increase our brand awareness, and boost engagement with students and alumni.
In the coming weeks, I'm excited to work with our staff and Women in Government Relations to bring their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit to our students. PLEN participants will not only gain access to all 3 days of WGR's programming, but also 2 days of PLEN programming. Moreover, registration includes a year-long membership to WGR, an incredibly valuable benefit for students!
This summit is an excellent opportunity for PLEN alumnae approaching graduation, students interested in public policy careers, and students who would like to expand their D.C. networks. You can learn more about the collaboration and how to register here.
I look forward to connecting with you and transitioning back to in-person seminars here in Washington D.C. as we emerge from the pandemic. Thank you for your continued support of PLEN and our mission.
Warm Regards,
Nancy Stalowski
Executive Director
Public Leadership Education Network
