Business women introduces ‘Leaders Who Lunch’

On April 25, Anamosa Middle School sixth-grade students spent their lunch hour learning about how women in the community have become leaders and what their leadership roles entail. This was the last of four “Leaders Who Lunch” events that took place during the 2018-19 school year. 

The partnership began last spring when Lisa McQuillen with F&M Bank approached Principal Linda Vaughn about the idea. Vaughn quickly welcomed the opportunity to connect students with women leaders in the community. 

“Our sixth grade girls were pleased that women outside of their school and home lives would be so interested in them as young ladies!” stated Vaughn. “We hope that the mentors have provided a strong enough impact to instill self-confidence in our sixth graders.” 

Leaders Who Lunch is a mentoring program started from grassroots that pairs young students with local business leaders for a conversation about goals, conflict management, teamwork, and other topics over lunch. 

When McQuillen approached Mary Oldham, owner of Grounds & Goodies in Anamosa, about hosting the luncheon she was delighted. “It really has been a great partnership between the school, Grounds & Goodies, and F&M Bank,” said Oldham. “We hope to plant the seed of what opportunities are available in Jones County and encourage the girls to fulfill their dreams.” 

When McQuillen reached out to business women in the community to see if they would be interested in meeting with middle school students over lunch to discuss how they became leaders, the response was immediate. As a result, they were able to meet four times throughout the school year and touched the lives of 44 female students. Several industries were represented by the business women including: finance, healthcare, city government, correctional, non-profit, and entrepreneurs.