Guth Leader in Residence Program Celebrates 20 Years

As a philanthropist and a founding member of the New York Women’s Foundation, Polly Wheeler Guth '44 was Chatham Hall’s first Leader in Residence during the 1993-1994 school year. The program was sustained annually through the Partridge Foundation until Guth made a significant gift in 2008 to endow the program permanently.

During the past two decades, the Guth Leader in Residence program has welcomed primatologist Jane Goodall, activist Gloria Steinem, tennis trailblazer Venus Williams, and Pakistan’s former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, among others, to campus.

Often, the Guth Leader in Residence’s area of impact connects with what students are talking about in class or around campus.

“We had [basketball coach and former WNBA player] Lisa Leslie last year, and we're doing a health and wellness initiative,” said Dean of Academics Martha Griswold. “She's somebody who cares very much about that, so she talked about that with students.”

In November 2023, Chatham Hall will welcome former Secret Service special agent and TV correspondent Evy Poumpouras. Griswold said her selection process focuses on “strong leaders who have a sense of the fortune that they have attained and now have found a way to give back to society.” She adds that the leaders help show students different ways of defining and achieving success.  

Chief Advancement Officer Christine Knight P’19 added that many of these women share what it’s like to be a working mother or how they’ve excelled in a male-dominated industry.

“Often these women are really candid about the path that they've taken and the opportunities and challenges that they've had,” she said. “I think those messages really help girls see a path forward.”

In contrast to programs that bring a leader to campus for a single speech or Q&A, the Guth Leader in Residence program hosts its guest on campus for 24 hours across two class days, during which they meet with smaller groups of students as well as give a keynote address. Students can sign up to be part of a study group that presents on some aspect of the leader’s life such as their biography or an aspect of their career. Then, they get to share a meal or conversation with the leader in a more intimate setting.

“Because we are a girls’ school, it is really important to expose them to role models,” said Knight. “We know that in the world, the funnel narrows for women in various roles, and so we need to equip these girls with the skills and the confidence that they can persist and succeed.”

The leaders get to know some of these students, and sometimes they’ll reference those students while addressing the larger group.

“Onstage, they'll say ‘you have a student in the audience who I just spoke to and you who you might want to talk to her because you have a similar interest,’” Griswold recalled.

Having multiple interactions with the Guth Leader in Residence gives students time to process what they’re learning and generate thoughtful questions.

“The thoughts that these women inspire in them shows an open mindset on the kids’ behalf because they're willing to listen, to take some advice, and mull it over,” Griswold says.

After 24 hours on campus, the leaders feel enriched by connecting with students, and the students come away invigorated.

“Even some of these women whose names you wouldn't have known, you'll hear about them year after year after year from students and alumnae because the message was so powerful,” noted Griswold.

Sophia Taylor '24, who attended presentations by two recent leaders, Tiffany Shlain and Lisa Leslie, agreed.
"I feel like it's good for students to gain perspective from people who have succeeded in multiple ways,” she said. “The Leader in Residence program brings people from all perspectives to campus — Lisa Leslie and Tiffany Shlain are in completely different fields. I think that the program is really beneficial to the students at Chatham Hall, because we're exposed to different types of leaders, and so when we want to make an impact, we understand all of the multi-faceted ways that can look."