Sisterhood can be found everywhere you look, providing women with a feeling of unity and camaraderie directed toward a common goal. Even CEOs at the highest levels of society can benefit from a group designed for friendship and confidence. Thirteen women leading Orange County’s nonprofits are part of one such sisterhood, working together to overcome the region’s challenges.
The Origins of a Sisterhood for CEOs
Founded by Madelynn Hirneise, CEO of Families Forward; Claudia Bonilla Keller, CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County; Bonni Pomush, CEO of Working Wardrobes; and Maricela Rios-Faust, CEO of Human Options, the sisterhood began when Pomush reached out to the rest for a happy hour gathering.
“As a strengths-based leader, when I joined Working Wardrobes, I was eager to identify the truly exceptional nonprofit CEOs in Orange County,” Pomush recalls. “After informally surveying, I compiled a list of the standouts and reached out to anyone whose name came up more than once. After meeting and getting to know them, I invited them all to join me for a happy hour.”
The goal was to bring a group together who could create a safe, supportive space that enabled their organizations to share resources and advance a common mission. Importantly, the soon-to-be-sisterhood would be a place to be authentic and to demonstrate what makes each member a leader to look up to.
Finding a Common Bond
When the group eventually came together for the “Amazing Ladies Happy Hour,” as Pomush first called it, they discovered just how strong a bond they already shared.
“We share a deep love for the Orange County community, a mutual respect and admiration for each other’s organizations, and an understanding of how true the statement ‘it can be lonely at the top’ can be,” Rios-Faust explained. “I’ve discovered how much I value knowing that we just ‘get’ each other—no explanations needed, no judgment—just support and a new perspective.”
How Community Support Makes a Difference
The sisterhood was solidified during these happy hours and soon expanded to include others. For many members, the experience has made a genuine difference in both their career and their personal life.
“For me,” Keller shared, “it’s been a reinforcement that I am doing the right thing, that I am sane, that I am not the only one feeling a certain way. It is the perfect antidote for imposter syndrome that we can all suffer from at times.”
Why Sisterhood Is Important—Even at the Top
As women in leadership roles, the task can be made more difficult by systemic issues and societal expectations. However, when there’s a group that has your back, it becomes that much easier to facilitate change.
“I like to joke that my plate is not only full, that it’s full and it’s not a dinner plate—it’s a buffet dining tray! The reality is that I can’t lift it alone and it takes my support system, including these fabulous women, to help lift it,” Hirneise concluded. “It’s important to me, personally, because I can’t think of a better way to manage the stress of being the CEO of an organization trying to enact positive change in our communities than by laughter and sisterhood.”
