Project Overview
At the start of my graduate program, I was invited to lead the Junior League of Cleveland’s underperforming Scholarship Committee. With over a decade of League experience and a new perspective from my studies in organizational leadership, I saw this as an opportunity to apply theory to practice: revitalizing a legacy program while leading meaningful change in my new community.
As I stepped into the role, I quickly discovered several systemic challenges: the application was still paper-based, the only essay prompt was "Why do you need this money?", there was no standardized scoring rubric, and the judging process relied on time-consuming in-person meetings with little consistency or documentation. It was clear that the program needed more than a refresh. Over the past two years, in tandem with my studies at Gonzaga, I have led the transformation of the Junior League of Cleveland’s scholarship program, modernizing a legacy initiative into one that better reflects the needs of the women we aim to serve.

Throughout my degree program, I applied leadership theories and frameworks directly to the scholarship program in each of my courses. From rebuilding the scoring rubric and strengthening stakeholder engagement to launching new events and creating training tools for judges, I integrated systems thinking, adaptive leadership, and collaborative design to digitize the process, introduce a bias-aware rubric, train evaluators, and increase applications by 300%.

This final phase (and my leadership project) focuses on long-term sustainability, but this capstone reflects more than a project, it represents the parallel growth of a program and a leader to offer a replicable model for equity-driven change in community-based initiatives.
The Specifics
Desired Outcomes / Results
  • Deliver a comprehensive impact report documenting key outcomes, lessons learned, and recommendations to guide continued improvement and help other Junior League chapters integrate similar practices into their scholarship programs.
  • Launch an e-course for committee chairs and new committee members to ensure consistent training, clear expectations, and smooth onboarding.
Indicators / Measures of Success
  • Submission of impact report and case study highlighting transformation and community impact.
  • E-course completion by all incoming committee chairs and new committee members.
Process & Transfer of Skills / Integrated Learnings
  • Systems Thinking: Addressing structural inequities within a legacy program
  • Adaptive Leadership: Leading cultural and procedural change in a volunteer-led setting
  • Dialogic Practice: Co-creating the redesign with stakeholders across the community
Anticipated Challenges
Annual turnover makes continuity difficult in volunteer-led organizations. To ensure lasting change, I’ll create accessible documentation, host a leadership debrief, and begin mentoring my successor. This final year is not a wrap-up; it’s a strategic handoff. My goal is not just a legacy, but a roadmap others can follow.
Leadership Project Goals
  • Create Virtual Training Presentations
    Link to Training Presentations
    Develop two onboarding presentations for future committee leaders and committee members, respectively, covering program goals, scholarship values, key tools, and ways to carry the vision forward.
  • Promote Institutional Learning and Model Replicable Change via Impact Report
    Link to Impact Report
    Present findings and recommended improvements to Junior League leadership to support alignment, long-term ownership, and shared vision. Document the full process and outcomes in an impact report and case study that can be shared with other Junior League Chapters seeking to transform scholarship programs through equity-driven, sustainable practices.
When we invest in women, we invest in stronger families, brighter communities, and a better future for us all.
I live in Cleveland and I won't shut up about it.
#TheLand
For more information, you can go here:
www.radisekindustries.com
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