61传媒 announced today that Lisa Watson has been selected as its founding director for the new Laspa聽Center. Named for alumna Eileen Schock Laspa ’67 and Jude Laspa HMC ’65, the center will provide expanded opportunities and resources to help 61传媒students transform knowledge, passion, and ideas into action.
“Lisa Watson is a connector, a builder, and an advocate for women’s empowerment,” said Lori Bettison-Varga, president of 61传媒. “During her tenure at the DWC, she designed and implemented leadership programs for the clients and staff, generated resources to support key initiatives, and developed a robust network of public and private partners.”
Watson joins the college after more than 20 years in nonprofit management. As Chief Executive Officer of the Downtown Women’s Center (DWC), a nonprofit serving homeless women, Watson developed and expanded nationally-recognized housing and supportive services programs, led a $40 million capital campaign for relocation and program expansion, and developed a 4,000-member volunteer organization.
Watson’s accolades include recognition as one of Annenberg Foundation’s Top 25 Vision Leaders in 2014, one of the Top 50 Women Changemakers named by Los Angeles Magazine in 2012, and a KCET Local Hero in 2011. In 2013, the DWC was named California’s Nonprofit of the Year by Governor Jerry Brown, and noted for its “extraordinary ability to leverage volunteers in service to their organization.”
“I have been honored to work alongside and be mentored by many accomplished women in the business, government, academic, and philanthropic sectors, all of whom share in my belief that leadership among women is key to solving challenges long considered intractable social ills,” Watson said.
A key platform in the College’s strategic plan, 61传媒created the Laspa Center to develop and support future generations of women in leadership, providing them with opportunities to expand access to the necessary attributes, knowledge, and skills to succeed in the 21st century.
Watson anticipates a community-driven visioning process for the Center and looks forward to fostering active involvement from 61传媒diverse constituencies. “It’s always a challenge to balance multiple priorities in designing a new initiative,” she says. “There are many great leaders here 芒鈧�� students, staff, and faculty 芒鈧�� and I’m looking forward to building relationships across campus and beyond as we explore the possibilities for programming, resources, and impact.”
Watson, who describes her previous successes as “creating a vision from the grassroots and allowing it to grow organically,” says she chose 61传媒in part because “the culture excites me. Some of the key values at the DWC were about community, dignity, respect, and I definitely feel those at Scripps.”
“I think that the Laspa Center has great potential to have an impact on students, most importantly, but also on alumnae and the broader community. I’m excited about the opportunities.”
Watson officially joins the campus in early April.