Karen Otazo joined a delegation from Vital Voices Global Partnership to travel to Panama City last week to formally recognize Vital Voices of Panama as an official chapter of the amazing organization: Vital Voices Global Partnership.  Board members Judith McHale and Sonnie Dockser, Author and Executive Coach Karen Otazo , Theresa Loar, Vice President of International Relations for CH2M Hill, and Melissa Peterson Smith, Associate Director of Development for Vital Voices joined members of Vital Voices of Panama for strategic planning sessions and the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the two groups.
 

The First Lady of Panama, Vivian Torrijos and Vital Voices board member Sonnie Dockser

 

This was an amazing experience for the four members of the Vital Voices US team and the fourteen members of the Voces Vitales de Panama’ board. One of the highlights of the visit was the robust discussion with university representatives. Another was the opportunity to meet fourteen accomplished and brave women on the new board. They have survived and thrived under the dictatorship of Noriega when they were jailed and exiled and when they worked together with eighty women’s groups to impeach a corrupt and immoral ombudsman in their country. They are all role models for women leaders now and with the work they will do in the future.

  

Judith McHale and Vivian Torrijos sign the Memorandum of Understanding while Karen Otazo looks on

Mrs. Torrijos, the first lady of Panama, welcomed the Vital Voices delegation on May 3, when the two groups held a strategic planning session and press conference. At the press conference, Mrs. Torrijos stressed the importance of women's full participation in Panamanian and global society. Vital Voices Board Member Judith McHale spoke of the importance of the formation of the Panama chapter of Vital Voices, stating that the group will serve as an important model for other Vital Voices groups around the world as the first official Vital Voices chapter. Theresa Loar, Vice President of International Relations for CH2M Hill, spoke of the importance of corporate investment in women's leadership in political, social and economic life, reinforcing the notion that women's participation is critical to building peaceful and prosperous societies.

The press conference and planning sessions were followed the next day by a forum at the Universidad Latina at which student representatives from the University's Business, Medicine and Nursing schools spoke on gender equality in their respective fields including Nursing, Medicine and Law. Karen Otazo spoke to the audience about women's leadership, noting that women leaders must have their challenges everywhere. In a historic moment for Panama, a memorandum of understanding was signed by Mrs. Torrijos and Judith McHale of the Vital Voices Global Partnership Board, formalizing Voces Vitales de Panama’ as an official chapter of Vital Voices Global Partnership--the first in the history of Vital Voices.

 

Vital Voices of Panama and Vital Voices Global Partnership met for a series of strategic planning sessions

Members of Vital Voices of Panama, as well as the First Lady, will join Vital Voices at the 2007 Leadership Summit for Latin America and the Carribbean.  At the Summit, the group will have the opportunity to further plan for their first programs as a Chapter, as well as share their experiences with other Vital Voices groups throughout the region.  Karen Otazo will again give her talk in Spanish, this time in an extended version, on the importance of Balancing Grit, Gravitas and Grace for leaders.  For combined Spanish and English slides of this talk go here or click here.