Athena Center for Leadership Studies

Established at Barnard College, a pioneering force in undergraduate women’s education since 1889, the Athena Center for Leadership Studies is dedicated to the advancement of inspired and courageous women leaders around the world. Customized professional development training programs based on the Athena Core 10 provides leadership education for a wide range of women leaders at corporations and NGOs. The Athena CORE10, a critical new initiative by the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, is a fresh look at the attributes that today’s leaders need to achieve, maintain, and maximize their impact.

Coro New York

In a city as complex and diverse as ours, it isn’t just the mayor and chief executives who shape our future. At Coro, we believe that meaningful change must also come from people in business and communities, schools and unions, and government and nonprofits who have the conviction and ideas to do more.

Coro New York Leadership Center provides leadership training programs so that participants:

• Become better leaders and recognize the potential of their program cohorts.
• Develop a broader understanding of public issues and policies.
• Expand their self-awareness, as individuals and members of a group.
• Engage actively and effectively in public issues and civic life.
• Take on multiple perspectives.
• Understand how power and privilege affect public policy and society.
• Connect to Coro’s diverse, engaged, and influential community.

Laura Gale

Laura has spent her career designing transformative learning experiences for a wide range of communities in New York City, including artists and audiences, students and educators, executives and early career professionals. As Senior Director of Training and Consulting, Laura is responsible for bringing Coro’s training and expertise into organizations across the city and beyond. Through this work, Laura helps teams and organizations tackle complex leadership challenges and collaborate across differences to build capacity, culture, self-awareness, and effectiveness. She also oversees the Fellows Program in Public Affairs, which she led at Coro for four years. Before coming to Coro in 2011, Laura founded and managed a nonprofit arts organization, serving as Executive Artistic Director for eight years, and worked in urban schools, using creativity as a vehicle for change-making to support the leadership and development of hundreds of New York City students and teachers. She holds a Master’s degree in Nonprofit Management and a Post-Master’s Certificate in Organizational Development from The New School, as well as undergraduate degrees in Theatre and Sociology.

Kathryn Kolbert

A public-interest attorney, journalist, and visionary in the not-for-profit world, Kathryn Kolbert brings to Barnard an extraordinary depth of experience in collaborative leadership, educational programming, and civil-rights advocacy. She has been recognized by The National Law Journal as one of the “100 Most Influential Lawyers in America,” and by The American Lawyer as one of 45 public- interest lawyers “whose vision and commitment are changing lives.” In 1992, Kolbert argued the landmark case of Planned Parenthood v. Casey before the U.S. Supreme Court and has been credited with saving Roe v. Wade with what Jeffrey Toobin has called “one of the most audacious litigation strategies in Supreme Court history
Kathryn Kolbert  is the Constance Hess Williams ’66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, Professor of Leadership Studies, and Professor of Professional Practice, Department of Political Science at Barnard College. As the founder director of the Athena Center, a premiere, interdisciplinary center dedicated to the advancement of women’s leadership, Kolbert provides Barnard students and adult women, a wide range of education, research, professional development, and public education programs both in New York and across the globe.   Kathryn Kolbert is the Constance Hess Williams ‘66 Director of the Athena Center for Leadership Studies, Professor of Leadership Studies, and Professor of Professional Practice, Department of Political Science at Barnard College. As the founder director of the Athena Center, a premiere, interdisciplinary center dedicated to the advancement of women’s leadership, Kolbert provides Barnard students and adult women, a wide range of education, research, professional development, and public education programs both in New York and across the globe.

The Morningside Collaborative Leadership Symposium is brought to you by Morningside Area Alliance, a membership association of fifteen leading academic, religious, and nonprofit institutions.  Mt. Sinai-St. Luke’s Hospital is a generous contributor and the program host.

For a personal conversation about this program offering or to recommend a participant, please contact Jennifer Beisser, executive director of the Morningside Area Alliance, at 212-749-1570 or jenn@morningsidealliance.org.