Founding Story

Once upon a time, not so long ago, three very tired businesswomen came together and said, "There has to be a better way."

Ginny Belden-Charles, Marcia Hyatt, and Debbie Ackley sat around a kitchen table in 1991 and began a learning journey to better understand the feminine archetype and leadership. By the time they gathered at that table they had each achieved success in their careers. But along with success came awareness of the price they had paid physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

CEL Founders
Ginny Belden-Charles, Debbie Ackley, Marcia Hyatt


And so they set out to discover a healthier, more life-affirming way to work. Their exploration led them into the depths of their souls, discovering new principles and practices for reclaiming the feminine in their lives and in their work. In 1997 they invited other women to join them in creating a learning community of practice, launching the first year of Women in Leadership. In 1998 they formed The Center for Emerging Leadership (CEL) and the rings of the circle began to grow. Those rings have become the Women's Leadership Community, a group of women leaders who are invited to stay engaged in an ongoing learning journey, through monthly circles, retreats and other learning events put on by and for the community.

Debbie Ackley is a poet and consultant from Toronto, Ontario. She published a book of poetry in 2007 called Born From Silence. Debbie has taught change management and leadership development at the Schulich School of Business and York University. While Debbie is no longer an active member of WLC, she partnered, taught and inspired us to create an organization that is both "emergent" and "self-organizing." She taught our first Study Circle in 1999 to explore new concepts in leadership and organization that we have put into practice over the last ten years. Debbie is now devoting her time to her poetry and further development of leadership principles.

Ginny Belden-Charles and Marcia Hyatt continue to be active members and facilitators of WLC.

 


 


An article in the Minnesota Women's Press in 1998 described the beginnings of the journey through Marcia's story:

...she learned the ways of the world and advanced to a position of leadership. She learned how to get things done, how to be efficient. She eliminated passive language from her vocabulary and learned that being right was more important than asking questions. As she rose higher and higher over the years, she found herself increasingly stressed. Doubts whispered under the loud veneer of her competence. And she wondered if there could be a healthier way to work.
CEL Logo