‘Visionary Leader Award’ 2022 Nominations Now Open

BOSTON (December 1, 2021) – The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership announced today that nominations are now open for the annual Helen G. Drinan Visionary Leader Award.

Named in honor of Simmons University President Emerita Helen G. Drinan, the award recognizes women leaders who are making a difference in their communities and who demonstrate exceptional leadership, commitment, compassion, and vision.

“The Visionary Leader award recognizes Helen Drinan’s many accomplishments during her twelve-year tenure as Simmons president, while also elevating women leaders who are making a difference in their businesses, organizations, and communities,” said Susan MacKenty Brady, CEO of the Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership. “This year we are excited and honored to once again have the opportunity to recognize a visionary leader whose service and work is advancing their organizations and creating a more inclusive future.”

Drinan, who stepped down as Simmons University president in June 2020, led a transformational chapter of Simmons’ history. Similarly, the Visionary Leader Award recognizes women leaders who showcase strong values in their actions and leadership, demonstrate a commitment to their organizations, and have the courage to make challenging and necessary business decisions.

Boston Children’s Hospital CEO Sandra L. Fenwick ’72 received the inaugural award last April in recognition of her more than 20 years of service to the nation’s top-ranked pediatric hospital and world’s leading pediatric medical and health research institution. Fenwick, who became the hospital’s first woman chief executive officer in 2013, led the institution’s successful efforts to advance and improve the health and well-being of children everywhere.

The 2022 Visionary Leader award will be presented during the 43rd annual Simmons Leadership Conference, held virtually on April 13, 2022. The Simmons Leadership Conference is the longest-running leadership forum in the nation that inspires leaders from across the globe.

“The Institute for Inclusive Leadership is looking forward to hosting an amazing conference next April,” added MacKenty Brady. “The Leadership Conference advances Simmons’ longstanding mission of developing empowered women leaders who excel in their professional, personal, and civic lives. This year’s theme is ‘cultivating courage and connection,’ which seems especially fitting as we recognize a woman leader whose courage and ability to connect has been vital to their organizations and our larger communities.”

Visionary Leader nominations are due no later than December 31, 2021. For more information on the Visionary Leader award, including how to submit a nomination, please visit The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership website.

About the Simmons Leadership Conference

The Simmons Leadership Conference, an annual offering of The Simmons University Institute for Inclusive Leadership, is the premier women’s leadership event in the world. This conference is an emerging authority on the intersection of leadership, equity, and inclusion. Our speakers are high-impact women who are role models and thought leaders on issues relevant to experiences and concerns of women in the workplace and in the world. Speakers tell their stories so others are inspired to reach higher to achieve their personal and professional goals. For more information, please visit www.inclusiveleadership.com

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