Learning with Lisa M. Borders, Chair, the @CocaCola Foundation, at The Bridgeport Public Education Fund

Yesterday, I had the fortune of sitting at the Fairfield University table in support of the Bridgeport Public Education Fund who brought to Connecticut the wisdom and global expertise of Lisa M. Borders from the Coca-Cola Foundation.

Every year, BPEF under the leadership of Marge Hiller, sponsors an inspirational luncheon to unite community leaders in support of Bridgeport youth. This year's keynote, Lisa M. Borders, did an amazing job outlining the ways Coca Cola is investing in water, women, and wellness. Her cross-generational narrative (with tremendous advice from grandparents and parents) provided much for her audience to think about and I have to say, I've witnessed few who have the presentational command of Ms. Borders. She was smart, knowledgeable, strong, and persuasive. I now see exactly why her words were brought by BPEF to motivate powerful people in Connecticut to make social change.

From the program, it was noted that Lisa M. Borders,

has worked in her community primarily focusing on family issues in the areas of education, healthcare and housing. She serves as a trustee at The Westminster Schools, an emeritus board member at Clark Atlanta University, a member of the Board of Ethics at Emory University, a founding leader of No Labels and a board member of the Atlanta Downtown Community Improvement District (ADID). She is a member of Leadership Georgia and recruits and interviews students for her alma mater, Duke University. She has received numerous honors and consistent recognition for her corporate and civic work.

What I personally noted from her presentation is that setting goals is a priority and measuring one's success to reaching those goals is a necessity. Her commitment to the Coca Cola company (of which one of my students, Anmol Tabassum - a stellar graduate of Bassick High School and the Dual Enrollment program at Fairfield University - benefited) was obvious. The investment made by Coca Cola is with sustainable programs that have al arge, empowering impact.

I'm a Diet Coke drinker, especially when I'm in need of carbonation. I loved how Lisa M. Borders introduced her organization's foundation work with the recent backlash against their product by declaring that Coca Cola is a wonderful company that makes a stupendous product. "The issue," she admitted, "is not that Coca Cola is nutritionally bad, but that we have not become more responsible about how much we consume."

Truth. Don't regulate my choices, especially when they're delicious ones.

I left the Bridgeport Holiday Inn thinking, "I wish Lisa M. Borders lived locally. She is definitely someone I can learn from." She possesses unique leadership skills and I was immensely impressed by her delivery to a diverse audience when reaching the message she was there to deliver.

All of us are in this together. This is why I remain a huge fan of the Bridgeport Public Education Fund (and was thrilled, too, to hear a recipient of their hard work, Daniel Ndamwizeye, speak about his work with the Daniel Trust Foundation, Inc, before the Keynote took the podium).