As the world becomes flatter and globalization creates a world village, it is imperative that leaders have the cultural flexibility and adaptability to inspire and guide people from very distinct backgrounds that represents the whole rainbow of humanity. Salsa, Soul and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Nation puts forth a multicultural leadership model that integrates eight practices from African American, Indian and Latino communities. Using principles such as ?Sankofa ? the ability to learn from the past?, ?I to We ? From Individualism to collective identity?, and ?Mi casa es su casa ?Developing a generosity of spirit?, this model offers leaders new approaches that will increase their interpersonal effectiveness with diverse populations by incorporating the influences, practices and values of a variety of cultures in a respectful and productive manner.
Juana Bordas emigrated to the U.S. from Nicaragua on a banana boat when she was four. The youngest daughter in a family of eight, she was the first to go to college. She learned leadership from her hard-working parents especially her mother, Maria, who cooked food and scrubbed floors in the school lunch room. "Their vision, determination, and sacrifice taught me the very essence of Servant Leadership." Her early years would instill in her a desire to give back, to make a contribution, and to assist other Latinas find their place in society.
Upon graduating from college, she joined the Peace Corps and worked in the barrios of Santiago, Chile assisting women form work cooperatives so they could feed their children. Juana later received the Franklin Williams Award from the US Peace Corps for her life-long commitment to advancing communities of color.
Juana was a founder and director of Denver's Mi Casa Women's Center which is recognized as a national model for women's empowerment. She was the founding President of the National Hispana Leadership Institute (NHLI), the only program in America that prepares Latinas for national leadership. Recognizing the need to prepare the next generation of Latina leaders, she founded the Circle of Latina Leadership in 2001.For her extensive work with Latinas, she was commended by Latina Style Magazine for creating "a Nation of Latina Leaders."
Her book Salsa, Soul, and Spirit: Leadership for a Multicultural Age published by Berrett-Koehler received won the International Latino Book Award for best leadership book. Juana served as advisor to Harvard's Hispanic Journal on Public Policy, the Kellogg National Fellows Program, and as board vice president of the Greenleaf Center for Servant Leadership, and is a trustee of the International Leadership Association.
Juana received the Wise Woman Award from the National Center for Women's Policy Studies and was inducted into the Colorado Women's Hall of Fame. In 2009 the Denver Post and the Colorado Women's Foundation named her the Colorado Unique Woman of the Year. Today, Juana is President of Mestiza Leadership International (MLI) -- a company that focuses on leadership and diversity. MLI prepares collaborative and inclusive leaders for our multicultural and global age.
