A Stronger Bond with Birmingham As another program year comes to a close, some members of the Class of 2023 highlight how the experience has shaped them and their roles as community leaders: “Leadership Birmingham introduced me to so many new parts of our vibrant city and to an inspiring group of leaders whom I am privileged to now call friends. I was particularly inspired by my classmates and the multitude of incredible nonprofits in the city dedicated to creating opportunities for children.
AN INSIDER’S LOOK AT YLF Page 2
An Insider’s Look at YLF Anoop Mishra is one of the rare double graduates in the Leadership Birmingham family — a member of both the Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) Class of 1988 and the Leadership Birmingham Class of 2011. That gives him a unique perspective on the high-school program among his Leadership Birmingham colleagues.
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INNOVATION DESTINATION Miller Girvin maps the growth of Birmingham’s start-up economy—and the ways you can support its expansion. What happens when a start-up stops? The answer reveals a lot about a city’s rise as a high-tech, idea-driven, entrepreneurial business hub, says Miller Girvin (’19).
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Idea Library Alumni share their latest book, program, and podcast discoveries Teresa Pulliam (’10) Circuit Judge, Criminal Division 10th Judicial Circuit of Alabama The Wire, HBO series: “Not that I need additional crime drama in my life, but I missed watching it 10 years ago and have been addicted to the series about crime in Baltimore in the 1980s.” “Hope of Alabama,” World Games 2022 theme song: “The song features vocal artists from Alabama and is directed by Dr. Henry Panion III.
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Wish Fulfillment Eva Robertson (’17) highlights the community benefits of matching resources with opportunities Imagine you have the power to grant wishes. Where do you begin making the world a better place? Deciding that is, in essence, Eva Robertson’s job.
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Projects with Permanence In light of Odessa Woolfolk’s challenge to revisit study-group projects, here are four group and class initiatives that have left lasting traces in the community. The lost miners of Pratt City: Inspired by Douglas Blackmon’s book Slavery By Another Name, which details the practice of convict leasing that primarily targeted Black prisoners, a group from the Class of 2013 illuminated its impact on Jefferson County.
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Katherine Berdy encourages young people to find their voices “Leadership happens best when you combine confidence, competence, and connectedness.” Katherine Berdy has made a career out of cultivating that kind of leadership among young people—in classrooms, in the community, and now as the new executive director of Youth Leadership Forum. It’s a mission she embarked upon more than two decades ago.
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What does it take to be an effective leader in Birmingham? Odessa Woolfolk will tell you. Odessa Woolfolk has lived history, taught history, and even helped make history in Birmingham, from the civil rights movement through the present day.
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STEPPING FORWARD FOR STUDENTS Youth Leadership Forum (YLF) attracts high-school students from across the community to learn more about the Birmingham region and each other. But it also brings together a group of adult volunteers who dedicate their time and efforts to make each program day a success.
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Investment Strategy Weily Soong commits to growing Birmingham’s talent pool Participating in the class of 2015 continues to pay career dividends for Weily Soong, Allervie Health chief medical officer, who ranks it among “the most influential experiences in my adult life.” In return, he has eagerly shared his time and resources, serving as Health Day co-chair in 2016 and 2022 and making a monetary gift to support Leadership Birmingham programming. Soong describes Leadership Birmingham’s impact and the crucial reason all alumni should consider making a contribution: What encouraged you to stay involved? Soong: Leadership Birmingham helped me to further understand that health-care problems—specifically health disparities and inequities—involve many different areas in our community and encouraged me to be creative in developing solutions.