As part of an ongoing effort to uplift the leadership and voices of women of color leaders in Greater Boston, we are pleased to recognize the 2021-2022 Anna Faith Jones & Frieda Garcia Women of Color Leadership Circle.

This program, originally conceived by Natanja Craig Oquendo of the Boston Women’s Fund, and Andrea Madu and Stephanie Guidry of the Boston Foundation, is inspired by two groundbreaking women of color leaders: Anna Faith Jones and Frieda Garcia. In the 1990s, they led the Boston Foundation as the CEO and Board Chair and were the first women of color to occupy those roles in our foundation’s history. The Women of Color Leadership Circle is inspired by the close partnership, vision, friendship, and legacy of these two incredible leaders. We stand on the shoulders of giants and these trailblazing women have paved the way for women of color within our sector.

About the Program

The WOC Leadership Circle is a six-month cohort program that aims to support women of color leaders and advance their leadership journeys. Through the program, up to 15 women of color leaders participate in six monthly facilitated sessions that are curated to be a safe space for belonging, fellowship, learning, unlearning, self-care, and restoration—a place where participants can share their challenges and frustrations and learn and grow from each other’s experiences.

Program Goals

The Women of Color Leadership Circle aims to:

• Deepen connections, nurture leaders and communities, and foster collaboration
• Provide leadership support and coaching that are responsive to the experiences of women of color leaders in the nonprofit sector
• Raise visibility of women of color leaders who are often overlooked
• Support women of color leaders to further develop their leadership and professional goals
• Create a safe space for fellowship, belonging, learning, and self-care

Program Offerings

• Six monthly day-long sessions for women of color leaders to unleash their potential, learn new approaches through peer learning, and build strong relationships with one another.
• Four hours of executive coaching for each participant by women of color coaches.

Participant Criteria

Must identify as a woman* of color in a leadership position** at a nonprofit organization, coalition, or network within Greater Boston.

Priority will be given to women of color leaders from organizations with budgets below $2 million; Priority will also be given to women of color leaders in organizations without a professional development budget.

Must be able to attend all six day-long sessions***:

• January 20th, 2022
• February 17th, 2022
• March 17th, 2022
• April 14th, 2022
• May 19th, 2022
• June 16th, 2022

*We are committed to supporting communities and individuals historically excluded from institutional philanthropy – including, but not limited to LGBTQIA people, immigrants and refugees, and people with disabilities. As such, we strongly encourage applications from individuals who identify with these groups and/or other marginalized communities.

**We define “leadership position” as a role where an individual has decision-making power to establish and influence organizational strategy, vision, and direction, and manages staff/volunteers, budget in collaboration with a governance body.

*** We hope to have in-person sessions in 2022, however, the January-March sessions will be remote in light of Omicron developments. We are committed to ensuring the safety of program participants and will follow CDC guidelines.