ChickSpeak

Lindsay Clinton is the communications and marketing manager for The White House Project, a nonpartisan, nonprofit, organization that aims to advance women’s leadership in all communities and sectors. With her hunger to explore the world, her insights to things that some of us can only read about in National Geographic magazines, and her commitment to empower women to take on the challenge of gaining leadership roles, Lindsay Clinton inspires us to speak louder in this world. Read more about Lindsay Clinton’s views on what makes a strong woman a leader. Thanks for such words of inspiration Lindsay.

1. How has your involvement with The White House Project helped you to find your voice?
The White House Project is a women’s leadership organization whose goal is to advance women into leadership in business, politics and media. One of our goals is to give women the skills they need to enter the pipeline to leadership. We work with women at the grassroots level, as well as with women at the “grasstops.”
Our organization is innovative and nimble; most of the people who work here are under the age of 35. I’ve been here for two years now, and have really enjoyed being around such driven, headstrong women. Each of us leads in different ways, and as a result, I’ve been able to form my own style, and learn from them at the same time. One could not ask for a better way to practice one’s own leadership skills than by working for an organization that specializes in forming leaders in all sectors, at all levels around the country.

2. You must hear about remarkable women every day. Tell us about one woman who stands out. For what reasons?
Having worked here for nearly two years, I have met some truly remarkable women: from interns, who have incredible ambition and creativity, to senators and senior executives, who are remarkable and awesome—emphasizing the awe in that word.

One woman who stands out in my mind is Carolyn Buck-Luce, a member of our Corporate Council, and a leader at Ernst & Young. Of course, she has an impressive resume: she started her career working for the State Department in Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Moscow; went on to work in investment banking and consulting and now manages worldwide relationships with global pharmaceutical corporations in the areas of risk, tax, human capital, finance transformation and transaction solutions.

In person, she’s bright and captivating—think of a perennial A-student—a woman who sits at the front of every meeting, exudes poise and dynamism, asks the best questions, and offers the most insightful comments. And, she’s a wife and mother. For all these reasons, she stands out in my mind. We are so pleased that Carolyn has been on our Corporate Council since the start, and I am constantly impressed by her.

3. What unique resources does The White House Project provide for women to best “lead in their own lives and in the world?”
Our most dynamic program for engaging women on a broad level is called Vote, Run, Lead. Through VRL we bring women into the political process as voters, activists and candidates through trainings, inspiration and networking. Our Go Run trainings, currently available in 4 states, give women leadership tools that they can use throughout their lives. After attending our trainings, women feel more invested in their communities and are more likely to run for office or take on leadership in their job, city and family. We’re holding our New York Go Run training this August 3-5!

4. If you had a magic wand, what would you do with it?
The United States ranks only 68th in the world for women’s political leadership–and women are only 13 of the Fortune 500 CEOs. If I could change things, I would put women into positions of power alongside men–make it 50/50, and keep it that way for a year. If at the end of the year no change had come about, then we could return to the status quo. However, I think that the inclusion of new perspectives and voices would be welcome and transformative , and I doubt that we would go back to where we are now.
5. If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? If you could bring a woman who has impacted society along for the trip, who would it be? Why her?
I have a soft spot in my heart for India—so although I’ve traveled there several times, I would probably return. It’s a fascinating and beautiful country—magnetic in its rawness, warm through its people. I would love to have a woman who grew up there, and became a strong leader in the West show me her India—because I’m sure it would be different from mine.

Indra Nooyi, President of PepsiCo, and native of Chennai could be my tour guide. Not only is she one of the most powerful women in the world, but I’m sure she would have interesting insight into the challenges that women face there, and be able to show me parts of the country I’ve never been able to see before.

6. What woman in your life has inspired you to succeed and in what ways?
My mom is salt of the earth—decent, dependable and unpretentious. Just by being those things, she inspires me. She came to entrepreneurship late in life, and watching her establish her own business has been a powerful lesson. She is a model of toughness and strength, which she balances with a load of compassion.

7. On a personal level, what is most compelling to you about the mission of The White House Project?
I’m fortunate that on most days of the week I leave work feeling that what I’ve done that day has been worthwhile, because I believe our mission—to advance women’s leadership—is, at it’s most basic level, necessary and admirable.

We are working to bring new ideas, and new voices to the leadership table in our country, and that mission keeps me moving, thinking and planning. I hope that I can always find this much fulfillment in my career.

You can check out Lindsay’s personal blog here.