The Imprint That We Make

I am writing my final note to say farewell to the Institute and hello to my new role as a Clayman Institute alumna. After 10-plus years, I am moving on. 

I joined the Institute in 2008 during an economic downturn and at the end of one director’s term and the beginning of the next. And now, as we welcome our next director, I am making space for the next generation of leaders. 

In reflecting on my time at the Institute—and wondering about the best way to thank you and this place for the remarkable opportunity – I thought of the phrase we dreamed of in a recent meeting with our advisor, Barbara Adachi. It’s not about the work we do, but the imprint we make. This place has made a lasting and meaningful imprint on me, and I hope I have made a positive impact here.

Some of the highlights of my time here:

• Meeting Gloria Steinem, as we hosted the 40thanniversary of Ms. Magazine. She presented the opportunity to rethink leadership. She talked about kindness. I thought about generosity, and I’ve striven to lead through generosity ever since.
• Starting our first research project at a company we call DCT, and learning about the unwritten rule of promotion: visibility. I have loved being part of every single research project and see research as a gift for the future.
• Hiring and working with a remarkable staff—they say to surround yourself with people who are better, smarter, and more qualified than you. That’s right. I have learned so much!
• Being on a panel with Senator Hillary Clinton, and representing our work in many forums over the years.
• Hiring our first student employee, Rosalind Boone, and since then seeing our program explode with interns, research assistants and volunteers.

This final note is a heartfelt thank-you to each and every one of you. You have made a lasting imprint on me. I’ll not call this good-bye, but a chance to spread feminism further across campus. I will be splitting my time at the VMware Women’s Leadership Innovation Lab and the Stanford Graduate School of Business as lead strategist, diversity, equity and inclusion. Cheers, Brava and All the Best! to our next wave of leaders, Alison Dahl Crossley as associate director and Adrian Daub as director.

In partnership, creating a more equal world, together,

Lori