THANK YOU LENA YASUTAKE!

To me, Lena Yasutake truly represents an empowered and influential woman leader. After more than a year of service as the WFWP Connecticut Chairwoman, Lena will be moving on to other pursuits and projects. We would like to sincerely thank her for her tremendous contribution to WFWP in many areas of the organization.

After representing WFWP USA at the WFWP International conference in Korea in 2014, Lena returned to Connecticut with a passionate drive to restart the chapter from scratch and she quickly inspired several other young women to join the leadership team. Together they conducted many successful and empowering events including two black-tie fundraisers for WFWP's Schools of Africa project. These evenings of food, music, and art were not only financial successes, but they brought tremendous awareness to the Schools of Africa, due to Lena's compelling passion for educating children in Africa.

Lena's incredible service was not limited to the local chapter. She served on the WFWP USA Board of Directors, bringing in many fresh ideas on improving the organization. She helped with the planning and presented several times at the WFWP leadership retreat on areas such as: how to dress for success, yoga, and tips for outreach; making her presentations informative, fun, and participatory. She was also a dynamic and engaging Mistress of Ceremonies at two of WFWP's National Assemblies, in 2014 and 2015. Many of you may have also seen Lena in several promotional videos.

No matter what she was doing, Lena inspired those around her with her heart to make a difference in whatever she puts her mind to. This in turn has motivated others, including myself, to follow their own passions and challenge their limitations.

Good luck Lena with your future pursuits!