Radical Transformational Leadership with Dr Monica Sharma: Guest Speaker: Sarah Emmert

Radical Transformational Leadership: What does this imply? Guest Speaker: Sarah Emmert

Transforming Community Responses to Public Safety

We invite you to a discussion with Sarah Emmert Sarah Emmert, Director of Community Impact with United Way of Santa Cruz County. For the past 12 years Sarah has been working on social justice issues, ranging from educational advocacy and racial equity, to working with those that have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Sarah has come to value the importance of strategic design, collaboration and building relationships with community and diverse stakeholders, especially when working on complex social issues and systems change. Sarah is a community organizer working to transform how the community addresses and responds to public safety issues.

Explore how anyone can be a transformational leader. Sarah will share what it takes to be one, based on her learning and practice. Being a transformational leadership takes much intentionality- creating time for design and reflection; but in doing so the investment generates much greater outcomes and result. Sarah shares: being a transformational leader required humility, a willingness to examine ones’ thoughts and actions – asking what’s missing?; what needs to shift?; What should be retained? Not from a space of doubt or negative self-talk, but from a space of emergence, growth and deep commitment to creating a better world for generations to come. It is important to always come with a beginner mind; to SEE challenges as opportunities.

A system delivers what it is designed to do. We invite you to hear what happens when we design differently to make a difference. There is a power in using the Conscious Full-Spectrum Response Model- in tapping into not only mine, but in other’s inner capacities. In doing so, it transforms relationships, it shifts conversations, it informs strategic actions. It ensures accountability. It has allowed numerous committed individuals to asked questions that create a space for new solutions; for a co-creation of equitable immediate and long-term sustainable results –both at the same time.

We need to meet the immediate needs of the most vulnerable members of our community AND we need to shift unworkable systems and norms at the same time. For example, with COVID-19, we need service providers and funders who support the community with basic needs – rental assistance, food, access to health care; AND at the same time, we can and must design these interventions in ways that address the root factors that are creating disparities and unhealthy outcomes in our community. Reflecting on the recent racial justice uprising – we need to rally in the streets - calling attention to the inequities; and we need to work with the systems and cultural norms to push for and support shifting policies and practices

Most importantly, each one of us, have the potential and possibilities to generate equitable change in this world. It is our choice to do so.

Guest: Sarah Emmert

Bio:  Sarah Emmert Director of Community Impact, United Way of Santa Cruz County

Born and raised in Santa Cruz County, for the past 12 years Sarah has been working on social justice issues in the community, ranging from educational advocacy and racial equity, to working with those that have been impacted by the criminal justice system. Sarah has come to value the importance of collaboration and building relationships with community and stakeholders, especially when working on complex social issues and systems change. In 2014, Sarah was brought on as staff to United Way of Santa Cruz County to coordinate the Youth Violence Prevention Network, its strategic planning process and implementation. In 2016, Sarah was promoted to the Director of Community Impact. Current projects focus on equitable trauma-informed systems, coordination and implementation of a strategic plan to better meet the needs of crime survivors, efforts to elevate youth voice and leadership, and working with community partners to reduce duplication of efforts and increase alignment and leveraging of resources. Prior to working with United Way, Sarah was the Public Policy Manager with Homeless Services Center and worked with Barrios Unidos Coordinating the Prison Project. Sarah also served on Santa Cruz County’s Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention Commission. She has a BA in Psychology from UC Santa Cruz and a Master’s Degree in Criminology, Law, and Society from UC Irvin.

 Learn more about Dr. Monica here: www.radicallytransform.org