This spring I found myself engulfed in an even greater than usual whirlwind of spring concert activities. Amidst all the excitement (and a little trepidation!) of last minute memorization, double checking tricky rhythms, and a myriad of other performance preparations for my own Anna Crusis Women’s Choir’s 40th Anniversary concerts, I also had the responsibility to prepare remarks to honor two other GALA choruses on their special milestones. The Central PA Womyn’s Chorus celebrated its 20th anniversary the weekend before; The New York City Gay Men’s Chorus celebrated its 30th anniversary the weekend after. Back-to-back-to-back GALA weekends!
Anniversary concerts are typically nostalgic and touching. This year’s were even more so — sandwiched between Caitlyn Jenner’s empowering, straight-forward interview and the much-anticipated Supreme Court ruling on same-sex marriage. Amidst the typical chronicling of the challenges and victories along the way, each group had its unique stories to tell. The PA Womyn performed a clever, hilarious skit portraying the creation of their mission statement. After performing the poignant and hauntingly beautiful “Tyler’s Suite,” the NYC men alternated music and dialogue to illuminate the differences and similarities of day-to-day life experiences of Boomers, Gen Xers and Millennials. Anna Crusis performed a 70s anthem as relevant today as it was then, noting women’s continued struggles for the rights of choice and protection against rape and abuse; followed by a new commission celebrating how blessed we are to be women.
Each concert and each chorus unique, and yet so much alike. I was once again taken by the incredible talent and creativity of our member choruses. Taken by demonstrated commitment to the continued quest of compassion and justice for all; to excellence in musicianship and showmanship; to the community of singing and non-singing members. And always that magnificent power of music to touch us deeply and to highlight the common human struggles and triumphs which unite us. Whether it’s 20 voices in an intimate church or 200 voices in a grand hall, GALA choruses have the capacity to change the world—and we are!
Highly skilled at working on both the individual’s personal growth needs and the organization’s needs to advance its business agenda, she assists talented professionals to better connect with their unique qualities and life journeys, and to leverage that awareness to achieve personal and professional life goals. With employers, she applies sensitivity to the challenges of today’s marketplace with her expertise in human dynamics and current leadership strategies to optimize executive talent for sustainable organization success.
From 2001 to 2008 Mindy was co-founder and principal consultant with CorporateHOPE, a management consulting and leadership development firm serving a variety of professions across the corporate, public and nonprofit sectors. CorporateHOPE’s hallmark was an advanced four-day program for executive and high potential professional women which produced breakthrough, transformational development through a uniquely designed process of discovery. Prior to CorporateHOPE, Mindy provided leadership coaching and organization effectiveness intervention as a Vice President in the Philadelphia region of Manchester Consulting. She co-directed an international change management intervention during the merger of two global pharmaceutical firms, and was a key developer of a pilot venture to merge one of Manchester's leadership coaching and development programs with a global leader in technology solutions for colleges and universities.
Mindy held two human resources leadership posts during seven years with UNUM Corporation, spearheading the creation of competency-based recruiting and development processes, creating an internal Career Development Center, and co-designing UNUM America’s assessment-based Leadership Development Process. She also led the collaborative effort to make UNUM a learning organization, which contributed to the company being named one of “ten best U.S. companies to work for” by Working Mother magazine.
As head of human resources for insurance and real estate development firm Morse, Payson & Noyes, Mindy achieved internal pay equity and greater labor market competitiveness, which contributed to a 25% reduction in employee turnover in less than two years.
In her responsibilities for performance improvement interventions at Kimberly-Clark, she played a key role in the successful start-up of a $22 million Automated Storage and Retrieval System, and designed a Train the Trainer course that defined a new standard for training quality.
Mindy has completed a variety of professional development programs, including two years study towards certification with the Pennsylvania Gestalt Institute. She earned a Master of Education from the University of Oregon and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Kansas, where she was selected a Watkins-Berger Scholar and graduated with “Highest Distinction”.
Continuing her life-long passion for music (piano and voice), Mindy sings in the Anna Crusis Women’s Choir, America’s longest continuously operating women’s choir, which focuses on promoting social justice through music. Mindy serves as president of the Board of Directors for GALA Choruses. She is active in Cencibel, a Philadelphia-based women’s group dedicated to the appreciation of fine wine and food, and is also an avid ornamental gardener. She resides in Wayne, Pennsylvania, with her husband Bill and their cats, Layla and Rosie.
- Anniversary Whirlwind - July 19, 2015
- From Board President Mindy Taylor - February 10, 2014
