Reflecting on the Experience ..."I was immersed in learning with a diverse group of company leaders from around the world and from huge for-profit organizations. I didn’t realize how much value I would get from the day-to-day discussions with them."
- Laura Larson-Huffaker
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"I applied for the fellowship partly because my organization was undergoing significant changes, which were certain to require strong leadership to manage in the upcoming years. … I had hoped that the program at Wharton would prepare me to lead the agency through these significant changes, and I believe it has more than exceeded that hope.”
- Laura Larson-Huffaker, Executive Director, EMPACT - The Suicide Prevention Center, Inc.
Fellow Biography
When Laura Larson-Huffaker began her fellowship, she was director of clinical services for EMPACT-SPC, where she provided oversight of all agency clinical services and programs including program development, licensing preparation, development of agency policies and procedures, utilization management, risk management and clinical program review. Since her fellowship, Ms. Larson-Huffaker has been named executive director for the organization.
Ms. Larson-Huffaker is a certified professional counselor with experience in nonprofit behavioral healthcare and the private practice of psychotherapy. She holds a Master of Science degree in counseling from Arizona State University.
Field Notes
"In an effort to strengthen my leadership skills and ensure an effective transition to executive director, I earned a Certificate of Professional Development from the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania.
"The unique aspect about learning at Wharton was that the classes were so diverse in student body makeup. I had the opportunity to hear ideas about leadership and company management from people in completely different settings than I’m used to interacting with. I started out feeling out of place in the group, being from a relatively small company and one that is a nonprofit social services agency. But within a short time, I became more confident as I realized that despite our different backgrounds, as people, and as leaders, we all had our individual strengths and weaknesses, and we all had many of the same ideas about handling issues that were common to many. These ranged from handling mergers, (which my agency had just undergone), to dealing with staff morale issues.
"Out of the excitement around leadership development, I have now begun leading the first annual EMPACT Leadership Council in which I am leading 13 managers and coordinators in leadership development coursework (directly from the coursework I had at Wharton) … In this way, the professional development that I was privileged to be able to have at Wharton will be able to indirectly benefit leaders at EMPACT for years to come."
Contact Information
Laura Larson-Huffaker
Executive Director
EMPACT-The Suicide Prevention Center, Inc.
480.784.1514
info@empact-spc.com
www.empact-spc.com