News & Events

Date & Time

10.22.2024 9:00am - 10:00am

In times of turmoil, communication is the backbone of maintaining a resilient and thriving workforce. This webinar will explore how leaders can use communication to foster inclusivity, bring in diverse perspectives, and build a strong sense of belonging within their organizations. We’ll focus on the power of storytelling as a way to build empathy and understanding, helping leaders connect on a deeper level and create shared meaning across their organizations. 

Participants will learn the importance of knowing their audience to ensure messages resonate and include all voices. We will discuss how consistent communication from leadership during challenging times not only provides reassurance but also reinforces a sense of dependability and trust. Additionally, we’ll emphasize the need to follow communication with active listening and responsive actions, ensuring that every conversation strengthens the collective sense of belonging and engagement. 

Join us to discover how to enhance your organization’s communication practices and lead with confidence, clarity, and empathy. This session is ideal for leaders who want to cultivate a resilient and inclusive workplace culture during turbulent times. 

Coming out of this webinar, attendees will learn: 

• The power of storytelling to cultivate empathy and understanding across teams.  

• How to align communication with your team’s needs, ensuring all voices are heard.  

• Techniques for consistent and clear leadership communication that builds trust and dependability.  

• When to engage in dialogue and when to act in crisis situations. 

Panelists:

Anouska Bhattacharyya, Ph.D. (she/they), Vice President of Programs, YW Boston 

Dr. Anouska Bhattacharyya is the Vice President of Programs at YW Boston. Anouska is deeply invested in issues of race, gender, and equity in higher education and healthcare. 

Anouska was the director of Harvard’s international program, managing incoming students’ immigration status, funding and curriculum development against a backdrop of increasing state violence and xenophobia. She assisted in the overhaul of the university’s core curriculum, and organized faculty protests at the decision to end DACA in 2017. She brings over a decade of expertise in higher education to YW Boston. 

Prior to YW Boston, Anouska was heavily involved in the University of Pennsylvania’s MSTP: a program designed to diversify the physician-scientist community in Philadelphia and beyond. She is an award-winning teacher at Harvard, Northeastern, and MIT. Anouska received her Ph.D. in history of science from Harvard University in 2013 as a result of her research examining the genealogy of mental health in the British Empire, specifically what it means to be simultaneously colonized by the state and by medicine. She received her bachelor’s degree in natural sciences, and an M.Phil. in history of science, medicine, and technology, both from Cambridge University, United Kingdom. 

David Brown (he/him), Vice President of Communications & Development, Vinfen 

David Brown is Vinfen’s Vice President of Communications & Development, leading Vinfen’s efforts to increase our presence in the community and develop new partnerships with private funders. Before joining Vinfen, Mr. Brown served as the Executive Director of the Cam Neely Foundation.

A familiar face to many in the Boston area as a meteorologist, anchor, and reporter for WCVB-TV and recognized as a passionate community service spokesperson, Mr. Brown followed up a 27-year career in broadcasting by pivoting full-time to non-profit work. He has served as Chief Advancement Officer for organizations including the Massachusetts Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired and MAB Adult Disability Services, and has been an active volunteer supporter of non-profits as an auctioneer, a Boston Marathon runner for Boston Medical Center, Community Services, and the Forsyth Institute; and a bicyclist for the Harbor to the Bay AIDS ride. Mr. Brown has competed locally in Moth Story Slams and Grandslams, winning 10 Story Slams and 1 Grandslam.

Mr. Brown holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism and English from Indiana University, and a bachelor’s degree in meteorology from Mississippi State University. He serves on the board of directors for The Speakeasy Stage Company and the Massachusetts Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.

 

Austyn Ellese Mayfield (she/her), Creative Director at KoS Creative Media

From poet to journalist to producer and content strategist, Austyn Ellese Mayfield has spent her career crafting experiences that move audiences to think, feel, and respond. She has held in-house creative leadership positions in higher education, healthcare, and nonprofits and is the founder and creative director of KoS Creative Media, LLC, a boutique agency offering creative content production and consulting services in multimedia and event production, brand development, and inclusive culture creation. Austyn is a LeadBoston Alum from the 2022 cohort and serves on various community boards, including serving as the Chair of the Board for the Boston Arts & Music Soul Festival (BAMS Fest).

Moderator:

Cristela Guerra (she/they), Senior Arts & Culture Reporter, WBUR 

Cristela Guerra is a senior arts and culture reporter for WBUR, a queer Panamanian journalist of color, and a moderator who facilitates and leads conversations around race, identity, and equity. Before working in public radio, she was a newspaper journalist for more than a decade, working at The Boston Globe and The News-Press in Fort Myers, Florida. She was a 2024 Nieman Fellow at Harvard. Her studies examined stories from the diaspora, including those of her own Panamanian heritage, the reasons that compel people to migrate, and how those individuals build community and maintain connections to their cultural identity. Her work received a regional and national Edward R. Murrow Award in 2014 and most recently received another regional Edward R. Murrow in 2023 as part of “Continuing Coverage” for her work at the U.S.-Mexico border on the journey of Venezuelan migrants.

She was chosen as a 2019 Latina Leader by Amplify Latinx and selected by YW Boston to be inducted into its 2023 Academy of Women Achievers and receive the organization’s Sylvia Ferrell-Jones Award. They are the vice-president of the New England Chapter of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and vice-chair of the board at RAW Art Works in Lynn.  

REGISTER: