Take The Lead Names Lily McNair, Ph.D. as Board Chair
Dr. McNair will Lead the Board of The Nationally Recognized Non-Profit Dedicated to Achieving Gender Parity in Leadership, Following Outgoing Board Chair Dr. Nancy O’Reilly
NEW YORK, (February 3, 2022) – Take The Lead, a nationally recognized non-profit on a mission to prepare, develop, inspire, and propel all women+ of all diversities and intersectionalities to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025, has named Dr. Lily McNair as Board Chair for a one-year term, with the opportunity to renew for two years. Dr. McNair follows outgoing Board Chair Dr. Nancy O’Reilly who has chaired Take The Lead’s board since 2018.
“It is an honor to have Dr. McNair as board chair,” notes Gloria Feldt, the co-founder and president of Take The Lead. “She will exponentially add to the board’s existing accomplishments achieved under Dr. O’Reilly’s leadership as we continue to grow Take The Lead’s influence and programs on the national stage.”
Dr. McNair has a 30-year career in higher education. Most recently, she served as the eighth and first female president of Tuskegee University. She was the Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Wagner College, and Associate Provost for Research at Spelman College. Dr. McNair is the co-editor of Women: Images and Realities (4th ed.), an introductory multicultural women’s studies textbook.
A clinical psychologist with degrees from Princeton University (A.B.) and the State University of New York at Stony Brook (M.A, Ph.D.), Dr. McNair has also served as:
• Associate professor of psychology and associate director of the Clinical Psychology Doctoral Training Program at The University of Georgia, where in 1999 she was the first African American woman to obtain tenure and promotion in the Department of Psychology
• Assistant professor of psychology at The State University of New York at New Paltz
• Clinical psychologist at Vassar College.
“I know from my own experience that organizations are stronger and more successful when women have an equal voice in leadership,” says McNair. “I am honored to serve as Take The Lead’s Board Chair and look forward to working with Gloria and our passionate and dedicated board members to further Take The Lead’s important mission in a significant manner.”
Dr. McNair takes the gavel from outgoing Board Chair Dr. Nancy O’Reilly, founder of Women Connect4Good, a non-profit foundation that educates people about the benefit of women-helping-women and fosters networks that raise the status of women globally. Women Connect4Good helps women develop leadership qualities, learn to take charge of their lives, and connect deeply with others to create change. Dr. O’Reilly has been a supporter of the organization since its launch in 2014. She was the primary sponsor for the “50 Women Can Change the World Media & Entertainment” cohort. The proven, effective program provides evidence-based leadership training, networking, and coaching that help participants in key sectors to embrace their power and accelerate their careers.
“I am grateful to Dr. O’Reilly for her service, leadership, and her passion for women’s advancement,” says Feldt. “Dr. O’Reilly will remain on the board and always be our champion and partner,” she continues, “and I am truly grateful for her dedication to Take The Lead.”
About Take The Lead
Co-founded by Gloria Feldt, Take The Lead, is a 501 (c) (3) that prepares, develops, inspires, and propels all women of all diversities and intersectionalities to take their fair and equal share of leadership positions across all sectors by 2025. Feldt’s newest book is “Intentioning: Sex, Power, Pandemics and How Women Will Take The Lead.” Subscribe here for the latest news from Take The Lead: https://www.taketheleadwomen.com/email-signup.