Leadership Legacy winners: Allsop, Stoll, Steele and Children’s Home of Cincinnati
Three individuals and a nonprofit were recognized with the Leadership Legacy Award at the 2021 Securing the Future conference.
In 2020, Leadership Council for Nonprofits created the Leadership Legacy Awards to recognize nonprofit leaders and organizations whose leaders demonstrate efforts to “secure the future” of the organizations they serve and support allowing these nonprofits to continue to build and secure the future of every individual they serve.
Two individuals were named Visionary Board Leaders, which honors a proven board member of a Greater Cincinnati nonprofit who has led their organization through transformational change, weathered difficult circumstances and demonstrated outstanding vision and achievement.
They are: Deborah Allsop, chair of the Preschool Promise Governance Committee and executive director/CEO of Families Forward; and Tom Stoll, board chair, Brighton Center.
“Deborah understands and has strengthened the organization’s collective voice in addressing the connection between internal governance and the achievement of intended outcomes. She assists in raising the organization’s visibility among Cincinnati’s political and business leadership while bringing the “voice” of those not typically represented — Cincinnati Preschool Promise preschoolers — the city’s youngest citizens. Deborah willingly introduces others and provides access to the City’s senior leadership by extending her relationships to amplify Cincinnati Preschool Promise’s collective voice in the community.”
A third individual was named a Vision, Understanding, Clarity & Agility (VUCA) Leader, which recognizes an early-career individual who positively impacts their organization and the community through demonstrated vision, understanding, clarity and agility. She is Jennifer Steele, CEO, Meals on Wheels NKY.
“Upon Jennifer’s arrival as CEO of Meals on Wheels of Southwest Ohio & Northern Kentucky, she began to restructure the executive leadership of the organization to reduce redundancies and better align with the mission and services provided. She installed expertise on logistics, compliance, fundraising, and innovation in roles that allowed for collaboration and improvement throughout the organization. This directly resulted in the following: 1) A steady reduction of food waste through the reduction of repeat deliveries due to clients not being home, 2) An increase in base hourly pay for kitchen workers and drivers due to the increases in efficiency realized elsewhere. 3) The ability to utilize the more than 600 volunteers that presented themselves as a result of the global pandemic while still maintaining a safe working environment through social distancing. This was accomplished through innovative uses of auto dialer systems allowing for volunteer work from home as well as the clever assignment of duties to those that live together in the same household where social distancing is not required.”
Finally, one group received the Inclusive Culture Award, which recognizes an organization that is welcoming at every level to every individual: The Children’s Home of Cincinnati, a Madisonville nonprofit that provides educational, behavioral and health services to local families.
