Education
University of Northern Colorado, BA, Journalism, summa cum laude, departmental scholar
Emerson College, MA, Communication
Experience
Summer has deep expertise in executive communication and coaching. Working for nearly 20 years with executives in the Americas, Asia Pacific and EMEA to identify their personal leadership brand and create authentic ways to share it, Summer has developed a unique approach to help people forge meaningful connections that inspire followership and get results. She has worked in public relations (Ruder-Finn), investor relations (Pfeiffer High), and technology and e-business development (Viant). In 2000, Summer started True Voice Leadership, where she focused on change management, leadership, and management development for technology, financial services firms, and nonprofits. From there, she joined Omgeo to create their organizational development function and eventually lead internal communication and change management. As Director of Coaching at The Boda Group, Summer is responsible for executive coaching quality, including assessing the capabilities of all Boda coaches, understanding clients’ executive coaching needs, determining the best coaches for each engagement, and ensuring each executive coaching engagement is set up for success.
Recent clients
Microsoft, athenahealth, Rethink Robotics, AOL, Insurance Technologies, Blackbaud, The Broad Institute, Novartis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, Celgene, Comprehensive Pharmacy Services, NexPhase Capital, RA Capital, Jennison Associates, Princeton University, Emerson College, Lexia Learning, Grainger, Trinity Partners, Ropes & Gray
Training and certification
The Coaches Training Institute, coach training; International Coach Federation, Certified Coach; Harvard Medical School, clinical training in mind/body medicine; MentorCoach, coach training; CRR Global, Organization and Relationship Systems Coaching (ORSC) and Inside Team Coaching; William Bridges, Leading Organizational Transitions; NetAge, Virtual Leadership and Virtual Teams; Options for Change, Culture Compass; extensive leadership and management training under Sim Sitkin and Allan Lind of Duke University and Delta Leadership; Kantor Institute/Dialogix, Structural Dynamics Certification, Hogan Leadership Assessments, Certified Facilitator.
At The Boda Group…
Summer focuses on leadership teams and leaders who are growing into bigger roles. This can mean taking on new levels of responsibility, or enhancing a key element of how they lead. Beyond change management, this involves “transition management” which is the psychological process we go though to adapt to change. This is a key element of embracing change and boldly moving forward.
Leadership is…
personal, because it’s about identity and relationships. Great leaders tap into people’s innate desire for a sense of purpose and belonging. To do this, we first need to get clear on what brings us meaning, and then find authentic and engaging ways to share our true selves with those we want to lead.
The most influential leader in my career has been…
one of my former team members. I definitely “hired up” when I hired her. She was not only an incredibly high performer; she also put absolute trust in me that allowed her to take risks. She had high expectations, and I wanted to meet them both because of how much I valued her, and because I wanted her to continue to raise the bar for herself and take smart risks. She called me forth to be a better manager and leader.
When I’m not with clients…
I’m rowing on the Charles River in Cambridge with friends, taking dance classes, or on a perpetual search for the best hot chocolate around.
One thing I’ve learned recently is…
Walking helps with creativity. I recently read a study by researchers at Stanford who found that people who walked were more creative than people who sat. This had lasting effects. People who took walks remained more creative even after they sat down.