Who should participate in this program?
Sorenson: I think of three different types of people. The first is someone who has been working in the field for a long time and wants to take their work to a higher level. They want to assume more responsibility, either within the organization they’re currently at, as part of a new organization, or by launching their own.
The second is a ‘re-tooler:’ This is someone who might be in another field, who’s been successful, and who wants to bring some of their knowledge and skill into this content area.
The third is an emerging leader: a young person who is very committed to addressing violence in relationships, and now needs to develop the necessary management and leadership skills to move their work forward.
What impact do you hope this program achieves?
Sorenson: Social change. I hope that we can build a confident and competent workforce – but it’s so much more than a workforce: It’s people who are visionary, who understand strategy, who truly see the long game. There are so many setbacks if we just look at this incident-to-incident, from event-to-event. We have to keep that long view in mind. This program will help to create a cohort of people who can turn to one another as resources as they progress through their careers and address these issues.