December 11, 2015

#jlpamp_FeatureFriday: Naomi Chavez Peters

Today our #jlpamp_FeatureFriday is Naomi Chavez Peters, Membership Council Sustaining Advisor & also Presenter at the AJLI conferences (OD Institute Membership Track Leader and Winter Conference presenter).
Naomi became a provisional member in 1993.  Active until 2007 & Sustaining member ever since.

Goal for this League Year: 
  • Serve Mikel and the Membership council with their goals and initiatives.
  • Support leadership development initiatives within our League and other Leagues.
Favorite past Placements: 
  • Community VP.  We brought in a new focus area at the time (focusing on families) and we brought back hands-on relational projects like the Rosalie Rendu Center project, Friends for Youth, Survive Alive House.  
  • President, 2005-2006:  an incredible year.  Really tested my leadership capability, but it was hands-down the best executive development money cannot buy.  Very proud of what the League and my board accomplished with our theme, “The Power of WE."
Most memorable league events:
  • Co-chairing the provisional (now called “new member”) committee with Mary Johnson.  She was such an esteemed active member at the time, I could not believe I was chosen to co-chair with her.  We had a bumper crop of new members that year, which included 3 future presidents:  Meaux Costello, Stefanie Bruggeman and Jan Woolsey.  I loved my committee of mentors, and of course I was beyond proud of the accomplishments of the new members that year.
  • Winning the $10K AJLI/ Anheuser Busch “Fund for the Future” award at AJLI Annual Conference for our Risk Management plan.  We did this following the tragedy that hit other Leagues with Hurricane Katrina in 2006.  Thanks to the great foundational work done by past-President Sally Falkenhagen, we shared our plan, which has become a standard by which AJLI today advises other Leagues to be prepared for the unexpected.  And thanks to Stacey Wueste Davis, my board member-at-large (and another of my esteemed provisionals) who spearheaded the award effort.  With her in charge, I knew we would win….

Born/Raised in: Merced California

Employment:  Founder and Principal, Great Leader Consulting, LLC.  Thanks to the successful side-business I created supporting Junior Leagues across the association, I finally got the courage to hang my own shingle!  My firm focuses on talent development and leadership development strategies for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. 

Other Non-Profit/ Foundation positions:
  • Board member:  Children’s Health Council (serving with Rahela Abbas and Calla Griffith)
  • Member:  Stanford Medicine Community Council (serving with Linda Meier, Maggie Pringle and Bren Leisure)
  • Advisory Board member:  Sky’s the Limit Fund (serving with Rochelle Bochner, Lani Dorff and Debbie Eastburn)

Favorite way to spend free time: 
  • Getting back into shape after 5 years of commuting from Los Gatos to San Francisco 4-5 days a week. 
  • Community service
Favorite vacation spot: Stay-cation.  Or anywhere in Europe.
  

Favorite local restaurant: Nick’s Next Door in Los Gatos.


Fun Fact: After watching the movie, “The Way” and being inspired by Karen Miller from the Junior League of Evanston IL, I’m training to walk the Camino de Santiago.  I’m up for the pilgrimage, after 31 years working in high tech growth companies.