In everything there is an opportunity to practice gratitude. Studies show that practicing gratitude can increase happiness with one’s life. In an effort to share joy this holiday season, we thought we’d start the gratitude list!
WEST is grateful for so many things. We are consistently grateful for the amazing engagement and support within the WEST community, we are grateful for the incredible leadership on the WEST Board of Directors and Advisory Board and within our staff, we are grateful for our insightful and inspiring workshop leaders and panelists, we are grateful for our generous and highly supportive donors, without which, the work WEST does would not be possible; the list could go on.
With so many things to be grateful for this year, we thought it was fitting to chat with the WEST leadership team about what they are grateful for. Check out some of their heartfelt responses below!
Alissa Brown - WEST Board of Directors
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I am grateful for the opportunity to connect with old friends and meet new friends over the summer!
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: Being part of the WEST family gives many opportunities to meet great new people, and develop strong bonds within my network, allowing me to keep on growing and learning, feeding my curiosity on the great strengths and opportunities across our community.
Leah Cole - WEST Board of Directors
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I am grateful for all the time I was able to spend time with my family and friends.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I am grateful that WEST connected me to an amazing group of talented, intelligent, caring, insightful, and fabulous individuals, my fellow WEST members.
Courtney Cyron - WEST Business Operations Specialist
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I’m grateful for work that allows me to connect with amazing people, support a cause I care about, and still be home with my children. I’m grateful for the WEST leadership team’s unending support in personal and professional growth. I’m grateful for the joy and silliness my two children bring to our lives. I’m grateful for my husband and that he does everything he can to support me and my goals. I’m grateful for a year full of travel and local adventures. I’m grateful for the joy (and the sparkle!) of the holiday season!
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I love that WEST is a community that truly supports each other. I am so grateful for the support of an amazing leadership team, the engagement and encouragement found in our community, and the amazing stories of the impact WEST has had in so many women’s lives. I’m excited to see how WEST continues to grow in our 25th year!
Jocelyn Dunphy - WEST Advisory Board
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: In 2024, I am grateful for fantastic trips that blended personal and business travel. Returning to Cincinnati, my former home, and visiting the UK, I enjoyed cultural experiences with longtime friends while connecting with current and past business colleagues to develop my consulting practice.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I'm grateful for WEST's commitment to bring women from diverse disciplines and career levels together to learn from and support one another. I love the multitude of events each month, and their accessibility to everyone; a standout moment for me this year was the Kendall Square Orchestra’s performance in March for International Women’s Day. Finally, I'm grateful for the dedication of our leaders and volunteers who make it all happen.
Chris Dwan - WEST Advisory Board
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I'm grateful to have the health, capacity, and flexibility to travel this year and to achieve a few long-standing goals and ambitions.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I'm grateful to the folks on the WEST advisory board who have pushed me to question my assumptions and to think deeply about how to be most impactful in my advocacy.
Alex Elata - WEST Board of Directors
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I'm grateful I've had a chance to watch my daughter grow into a toddler, getting to experience career growth opportunities at a new company, and continue to enjoy the changing seasons in New England.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: WEST has been an incredibly supportive network for me, providing interesting and high quality programs and great people to volunteer and grow with. I love seeing these strong professionals change jobs, make pivots, grow, and share what they're learning along the way. It helps me feel safe to grow and change too, and feel close to others as I navigate professional politics, becoming a working mom and grapple with other things life throws at you. This year I am especially grateful to have an opportunity to observe the board and see what it is like to sustain an amazing nonprofit. I feel very privileged to get to see this in action and help as I can!
Anna Li - WEST Advisory Board
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I am grateful for the joy my 2-year-old son brings into my life and for the unwavering love and support of my friends and family. Professionally, I am thankful for the unexpected journey of being laid off and then finding a new dream job. This experience prompted growth and reflection in ways I might not have otherwise anticipated.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I know I am never alone because I have the WEST community to lean on. Thanks to WEST, I’ve become 10 times stronger and better than I was before. I can always count on finding inspiration at WEST when I need it most.
Jaime Luna - WEST Senior Director of Operations
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I am grateful for family, friends, creative crafting time, and time spent out in nature.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I am grateful for the supportive leadership at WEST, the opportunities to work on meaningful projects, and the wonderful relationships and connections that enrich my professional journey.
Clive Patience - WEST Board of Directors
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: Having had a significant heart-related medical issue this year, I am particularly grateful in being able to have the time away from work to focus on my recovery. This made me immensely grateful for all my friends (including those at WEST), and in particular my work colleagues who covered everything without missing a beat (pun intended).
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I’m grateful for the opportunity to contribute to WEST through providing a lovely venue at Agios for events, and am grateful for all the good that I experience as a result.
Jyothsna Visweswaraiah - WEST Board Vice President
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I've found the time I have spent with WEST staff, board/ Ad board members collaborating on fundraising, programming to be so rewarding not just with the WEST community but also for myself in more ways than I had imagined. I am grateful for a loving and understanding family who give me the time to pursue my passion of supporting early career women succeed in the workplace.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: WEST's continued investment in delivering high quality programming that has been impactful all around- I love it when I hear from members and non members about how an event was impactful for them, young professionals taking charge of their careers to name a few. I am so grateful WEST has empowered so many people.
Karin von Hodenberg - WEST Board President
Q: What are you grateful for this year in your personal and professional life?
A: I’m grateful for being in a new 'stretch' role as Head of Quality at Monte Rosa, and having people recognize what value we have brought to the organization - not just in delivering on milestones, but actively partnering with various functions. I also connect this stretch with what we’re doing at WEST, and how we are coming up with new ways to make a difference. I’m definitely also glad to have added a couple of incredible countries to my "have been to" list this year.
Q: What is something about WEST you are grateful for?
A: I love seeing the impact WEST has in our diverse community. We are close to our members (and non-members) and hearing that our event topics are spot-on, or that someone honed a leadership skill and what it achieved for them, or that yet another connection was made that helped someone grow and expand their network and perspective. That is what we are all about.