International Leadership Association President and CEO Cynthia Cherrey was recently honored to receive and accept an invitation to serve on the inaugural Warren Bennis Leadership Council. The Council, chaired by Warren’s daughter Kate Bennis, brings together noted scholars and business professionals who worked closely with Bennis. Additional Council members include Betsy Myers, who also serves as Senior Adviser at UC’s Warren Bennis Leadership Institute, as well as Ken Blanchard, Bob Castellini, Ken Cloke, Doug Conant, Bill George, Joline Godfrey, Joan Goldsmith, Tom Peters, Raj Sisodia, Dick Thornburgh, and Pat Zigarmi.

Bennis was involved in the ILA from the beginning as a keynote speaker at the first Leaders/Scholars conference in 1998 (the precursor to the ILA) held at the University of Southern California, where Cherrey served as the Associate Vice President for Student Affairs. He was awarded the ILA Distinguished Leadership Award in 2007 and was an inaugural recipient of ILA’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008. Cherrey explained how Warren’s leadership research paved the way for the emerging field of leadership studies. “Warren’s work, along with James McGregor Burns and many others, helped to lay the foundation for leadership as a discipline and a field of study.”  

Members of the Council gathered at the University of Cincinnati in April to meet each other and share their connection with Bennis. While there, they participated in the  Warren Bennis Leadership Institute Summit — an invitation only event engaging business, community, and academic leaders. Cherrey served on a panel at the Summit. After the Summit, she also participated in the annual Warren Bennis Leadership Experience where she had the pleasure of interacting with faculty and students passionate about furthering the leadership work at the University of Cincinnati. Cherrey commented, “The events were stellar and not just because they took place during the total eclipse on 8 April!”