In 1972, Taft enrolled its first female students. In the intervening 50 years, female students have captained teams, directed plays, led discussions, and championed causes. Some have been elected to various positions of leadership in student government. And some have become head monitors, the student elected to lead the student body for the year. In honor of this milestone, we reached out to several women who have served as head monitors and asked them to reflect on the ways early leadership influenced their lives and careers.

Story G.R. Viebranz '12

How did being a head monitor at Taft shape your career?

Taft prioritized bringing together the entire student body, so there were quite a few public speaking opportunities for the head monitor. That chance to write speeches, put down ideas, and share them with large audiences of students and adults was a huge building block of my career. Those moments helped me think critically about how my words will resonate with the people around me, exercise persuasion, be concise, and capture the attention of a room. I saw this play out incredibly in my first job when an early manager shared that he was impressed with my ability to present to large, senior audiences, and subsequently offered me the chance to work with some of our most exciting and influential customers.

What advice would you offer young women as they define their leadership style in their work and avocations?

A phrase I hear repeated among many of my female friends is "imposter syndrome," meaning that they doubt their skills or abilities even after achieving great things. This makes it hard for leaders to be objective about what they've accomplished, and I encourage young women to really take a good look at their strengths, and then don't be afraid to own them.

Story Viebranz works for a venture capital fund in San Francisco, where she started right out of college. She manages the company's corporate executive network to help create business opportunities for its portfolio companies. She spends a lot of time with founders to better understand who they want to do business with and then helps connect them with the right teams or leaders within those industries.

Betsy Sednaoui '13

What advice would you offer young women as they define their leadership style in their work and avocations?

A few key things come to mind: Listen. Keep learning from those more experienced than you. Take in what you do and do not like about their leadership style. Have appreciation for people trying their best, but also don't hesitate to ask more from them. I have plenty to learn myself about my leadership style because it evolves as I move through my career. I am not always the leader, but I recognize the leadership I wish to emulate.

After graduating from the University of Virginia, Betsy Sednaoui started working in website analytics at National Geographic Expeditions in Washington, D.C. After the pandemic hit, she and her boyfriend moved to Denver, where she now works as a web analytics specialist at a performance marketing agency. She said the couple skis every weekend in the winter and bikes in the summer and couldn't love Denver more.

Lorni Fenton Sharrow '86

What advice would you offer young women as they define their leadership style in their work and avocations?

If I could give myself some advice, it would be to be confident in myself and my intuition! I would encourage that 17-year-old to really dig into her authentic strengths, understand her shortcomings, and the strengths and shortcomings of the monitors, so together they would be one dynamic leadership group to serve all of the students. I would give her and the monitors the words to articulate that this leadership style is really powerful.

Being elected head monitor was a profound honor. I hope I served my community well. I have continued to seek ways to serve my community through volunteerism, professional work, as well as with my family and friends. Having this purpose has led me through a really interesting professional career, first by working with nonprofits, then working with students as assistant dean for the Women's College at the University of Denver, and now as a trust and estate attorney working with people and their families and loved ones to create lasting legacies. I am honored to serve people in these ways.

Lorni Sharrow is a trust and estate attorney for a Colorado-based law firm, Moye White LLP. She's married to Chris Sharrow, and they have two daughters who are in college (both of whom recently won their respective conference titles in field hockey!). She is also on the board of directors for the Community Resources Center, which helps nonprofits across Colorado serve their communities responsively. CRC provides training, coaching, and VISTA volunteers, as well as creating regional networks and connections with funders.

Vienna Kaylan '15

What was it like to be named head monitor at Taft?

I arrived at Taft in 2011, a year that marked the school's 40th anniversary of coeducation. But as a centuries-old boarding school in New England, there were times when the school could still feel like a boys' club. I vividly remember our Alumni Day parades, when visiting Tafties lined up according to their graduating year, and you could see the number of women peter out as we stretched back in time. Being named head monitor was emotional for me, because it felt so important to keep integrating young women into the school's history of leadership. I was honored to be even a small part of that. In practice, occupying the role was such a rewarding and complicated experience. I discovered almost immediately that as a young woman in this position of leadership, there was an expectation for me to be more agreeable and conciliatory than my male peers. I had to be that much more confident, organized, and well-spoken to be taken just as seriously as they were. This was frustrating, but I knew that I was also being given a platform. Many people at Taft wanted women to have a voice in helping the school evolve, and we were certainly up to the task. The role was a great responsibility, and an even greater privilege.

What advice would you offer young women as they define their leadership style in their work and avocations?

My role in leadership at Taft taught me the importance of knowing your own strengths and preparation. My job essentially requires me to pitch myself several times a day. When I have an audition or a meeting, I always focus on knowing exactly what I bring to the table before I even step into the room. And whenever I feel nervous about holding my own, I always just prepare, prepare, prepare. I figure I can't count on being the smartest, or the loudest, or the most talented person in any room, but I can always try to be the most prepared.

Vienna Kaylan is an actor and content creator living in Los Angeles.

Elizabeth "Lily" Lake Lanahan '08

What was it like to be named head monitor at Taft?

It was such an honor to be named head monitor, and it meant a lot to my family after my grandpa (Edward Herrlinger II '46) served as a co-head monitor just after World War II. There were several years of male head monitors before me, and I was so proud to take on the role as a young woman. I remember I almost missed the Morning Meeting when the announcement was made, and I actually ran into Bingham to a warm applause from the school! It's a moment I'll never forget.

What advice would you offer young women as they define their leadership style in their work and avocations?

Believe in yourself and know what you have to offer, even if that means you're curious and eager to learn. Don't apologize unless you truly need to, and don't be afraid to advocate for yourself as you pursue new roles. As you find yourself in a leadership position, it's equally important to advocate for other women.

Lily Lanahan knew she would pursue art and design after taking an AP art history course at Taft. She went on to get her master's in art and design and spent her first years out of graduate school in the art auction world in New York. After working as a buyer for a luxury interiors showroom in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, she moved to Australia with her then-fiancé, now husband John DePeters '09, and launched her own business designing table linens. At Elizabeth Lake she specializes in hand-stitched embroidery and appliqué, and she has had the pleasure of working with a team of Portuguese artisans to bring her collections to life. www.elizabethlake.com.

Eliza Denious '17

What was it like to be named to that key role at Taft?

When Head of School Willy MacMullen '78 announced my name as the female head monitor my junior spring, I remember feeling a rush of pride. I was truly honored to be selected to serve as Taft's leader. I also remember feeling a sense of tremendous responsibility, knowing that I had the opportunity to be a role model for younger Taft students, especially younger female students. I thought back to the head monitors that had come before me and about the impact they had on my Taft experience. It would now be me speaking to nervous new students and their parents on their first day. It would be me standing up in front of the entire student body every Wednesday and Saturday at Assembly. As daunting as it might have seemed, I was incredibly proud to be up there, and in the moment, I never felt the pressure that I anticipated feeling. Instead, I felt trusted and supported and never felt like I was leading alone. Every action and decision I made as head monitor was a reflection of my wanting to share with the Taft community what they fostered and created naturally—I just had the privilege of helping people recognize it.

What advice would you offer young women as they define their leadership style in their work and avocations?

In my experience, you cannot be a successful leader without empathy. Empathy is what allows you to establish meaningful connections and gain the trust of those around you. When people trust and respect you, there is so much more room to grow and develop as a team. Growth is another key element of leadership. No one masters their leadership style overnight. Your definition of what it means to be a good leader will change as you continue to have experiences. Some people will inspire you more than others. If you can remember what it is about the people who have a positive impact on you and then mold those qualities into your own unique leadership style, you will be developing the skills to become a powerful leader. Most importantly, be confident and lift each other up. Be confident that you can command a room or lead a team or set a good example for your peers. And when you do, share your wins. Recognize those who supported you and those who contributed to achieving your goal. Sharing your victories as a leader is much more rewarding than celebrating alone.

Eliza Denious is currently participating in the development program at Morningstar, an investment research company, in Chicago. She moved to the Windy City in July 2021 and is experiencing her first Chicago winter.

Tarik Asmerom '01

How did being a head monitor at Taft influence your career?

I'm so profoundly grateful for my entire Taft experience. I appreciate the level of trust we were given at Taft. As a student, your vote counts as much as the administration's and faculty's. I was a young African American woman at Taft and trying to find my voice. [I learned to] believe in myself as a leader, a changemaker. Someone who has impact. Honestly, I was very shy, and as I look back, I was very grateful for that space and that level of trust I was given.

Tarik Asmerom is an emergency room physician at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston and is an academic doctor with Baylor College of Medicine.

Elizabeth "Lizy" Lewis Matthews '81

What was it like to be named to that key role at Taft?

As the school was fewer than 10 years beyond being an all-male student body, there was a lot of focus on being the first female head monitor. I remember the announcement in the Bulletin with the headline "Making It in a Mon's World." People were very supportive and I enjoyed my time as head monitor, yet it still felt at times as if I was a curiosity rather than just an ordinary senior serving in a leadership role.

After Taft, Lizy Matthews graduated from Princeton University and then taught elementary school at Nightingale-Bamford School for three years in New York. She then received an M.Ed. in human development from the University of Pennsylvania before she and her husband, Will, moved to Birmingham, Alabama. The couple raised two sons, Bill and John, now 31 and 29. She has focused her efforts on literacy and literature through several charitable and civic organizations and has also been involved in environmental causes.

Kate Schutt '93

What advice would you offer young women as they define their leadership style in their work and avocations?

My advice is to continue to lead—don't stop growing yourself as a leader. When possible, put yourself in positions of leadership even if they feel uncomfortable or a stretch. Start exploring other styles of leadership. There are so many more ways to lead than just "from the neck up," so to speak. In the West, we tend to intellectualize everything, including leadership, but our bodies can be a tremendous source of wisdom. I've learned so much from my leader peers who come from different traditions and backgrounds, from the field of somatic leadership or from indigenous cultures. Keep learning and looking for different ways to lead. J

Kate Schutt is an award-winning singer-songwriter, guitarist, and producer whose voice NPR calls "glassily clear and glossily sweet." American Songwriter says of her newest album, Bright Nowhere, "Similar in stance to Joni Mitchell, Norah Jones, and Dianna Krall, Schutt's languid vocals ply mood and melody in equal measure, resulting in a work that ought to bring her the wider recognition she so decidedly deserves." Schutt's songs have won top honors from the John Lennon Songwriting Contest and ASCAP, and she's shared stages with such jazz luminaries as Terri Lyne Carrington, Bill Frisell, Julian Lage, Scott Colley, and Bernard Perdie, to name a few.

Bonnie Blackburn-Penhollow '84 is a writer living in Fort Wayne, Indiana, with her husband, two teenagers, and various animals.