Monterey Park, CA – On Saturday, May 19th, CAUSE held the fifth Leadership Institute Training Session of 2018 at the SoCalGas Monterey Park Learning Center.
The session started off with an insightful discussion featuring The Honorable Betty Yee, Controller of the State of California. Controller Yee began by sharing her personal story on how she first gained experience in finance by handling the books for her parent’s laundry and dry cleaning business. As the daughter of immigrants, she would help them with anything ranging from negotiating prices with vendors to filing their taxes. These early experiences gave her firsthand knowledge of how immigrant business owners worked as a community, and the invaluable strength of that community in times of hardship.
Controller Yee advised the fellows that whether they choose to run for office or decide to pursue other leadership opportunities, to “be sure that we’re carrying everyone forward.” After all, she stated, “politics is all about relationships.”
Next, Louise McCarthy, President & CEO of Community Clinic Association of Los Angeles County, led a policy-focused discussion on building healthy communities. She specifically highlighted the difficulties that nonprofit clinics encounter in trying to serve uninsured individuals, in addition to pointing out the effects policy changes had on healthcare accessibility. Louise shared that the issue of healthcare is inexplicably connected with many other issues, such as immigration and housing. When asked how one could get a strong start in working in policy, she confidently replied, “Any education can get you there, it’s really about finding the experience and connections.”
Lastly, the fellows participated in a media training session with Jose Cornejo, President & CEO of Cornejo Strategies. Jose gave the cohort a rundown of tips and suggestions when interacting with media, and emphasized that press opportunities ultimately stem from relationships. He told them to always focus on delivering their own key message points, regardless of questions that may be asked by media professionals. Fellows got hands-on learning experience by participating in mock interviews. He advised the fellows that in order to effectively convey their message in high-pressure interviews, it is crucial to for them to know their own biases and intentions: “You have to understand who you are.”