Toll Fellows

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Gail Finney

Gail Finney
Representative
Kansas

Education: B.A. Business Administration and M.B.A
Profession: Small business owner
Family: Husband, Jerrold, three sons and three grandchildren
Pets: 2 dogs, Spike and Rico
Hobbies: Gardening and politics

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"Leadership has a harder job to do than just to choose sides. It must bring sides together."  -Rev. Jesse Jackson

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
In my opinion, an effective leader is one whom emphasizes honesty and integrity, listens with sincerity, openly communicates and is not afraid to stand-up for the people they represent or for what they believe is right.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
"To thy self be true" is my personal mantra. I am, who I am, and nobody's ever going to change my personal convictions or beliefs.  As a child, my mother used to refer to this quote over and over agian, especially when I was in middle school and developing my personal interactive social skills with other students. I learned early on, not to change myself, just to make others like me or to make it easier to assimilate.

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
I hope to leave the Toll Fellows program with a wealth of new knowledge that I can apply to my everyday life from improved leadership and communication skills, to policy development and analysis.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Jackie Winters

Jacqueline "Jackie" Winters
Senator
Oregon

Education: Jefferson High School, Portland OR; Oregon University Continuing Education System
Profession: Public Agency Administration, small business owner
Family: Four boys, eleven grandchildren, stepson, stepdaughter and beloved late husband, Ted
Pets: None
Hobbies: Making friends all over the world

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"I expect to pass through this life but once,
If, therefore, there be any kindness I can show
or any good thing I can do to my fellow human beings -
Let me do it now
Let me not defer it or neglect it . . .
for I shall not pass this way again."

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
The effective leader is a servant.  As a servant, the person has an open mind, listens well, knows how to build bridges, is willing to take risks and has the skills and patience to bring together followers who have knowledge, expertise and shared dreams. A leader/servant then makes the decisions necessary to achieve the vision or outcome.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
The best piece of advice came to me as a teen from my eldest brother, whose counsel has stayed with me through the rest of my life.  His words: "Every day of your life, no matter what you do or how successful you become, someone can teach you more; even a man on the street who is in the gutter has wisdom to share."

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
I sincerely hope that my Toll Fellows experience will help to expand and reinforce my vision that all things are possible when we work for the greater good of humanity.  I look forward to listening to how successes - or failures - occurred in other states, and why; the barriers and the benefits as well.  I truly believe that everyone has wisdom to share!

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Richard Sliwoski

Richard Sliwoski
Director, Dept. of General Services
Virginia

Education: M.A. in International Relations, Salve Regina University; M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies, US Naval War College; M.B.A. Xavier University; M.S.C.E. and B.S.C.E. Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Profession: Engineer
Family: Wife, Leslie - Sons, Michael (deceased) and Christopher - Daughter, Lauren
Pets: Oliver and Bailey, miniature Australian Shepherds
Hobbies: None

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"Remember, fame is fleeting."

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
Treating everyone, no matter what their station in life, with dignity and respect.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
No matter how flat you make the pancake, there is always two sides.

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
I hope to gain a better appreciation of how individuals from diverse backgrounds and parts of the country approach problems and build consensus.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Lonnie Reed

Lonnie Reed
Representative
Connecticut

Education: B.A. Whitman College; M.A. Journalism, University of Washington
Profession: Investigative journalist; writer/producer/director- television documentaries & specials
Family: Husband, Parker - a blended family of seven children and grandbaby LuLu
Pets: Glynnie, a tortoise shell cat who runs the house
Hobbies: Skiing, tennis, biking, hiking, kayaking and occasionally sailing other people's boats

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty."  - Winston Churchill

"Example is leadership."  -Albert Schweitzer

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
Truly listening and observing - not just to the words, but to the body language as well; determining ways to make other people stakeholders when it comes to pursuing critical goals; and always sharing the credit when success is achieved.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
"If they want you in on the landing, they need to bring you in on the take-off." U.S. Senator Henry "Scoop" Jackson told me that when I worked for him as a kid staffer.

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
New perspectives; original thinking; fresh, successful ideas for grappling with persistent challenges that we all face; friendships and fun.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Dusty Johnson

Dustin "Dusty" Johnson
Chief of Staff, Governor's Office
South Dakota

Education: B.A. University of South Dakota; M.P.A. University of Kansas
Profession: Chief of Staff, South Dakota Governor's Office
Family: Wife, Jacquelyn - Sons, Maxwell, Benjamin and Owen
Pets: None
Hobbies: Watching basketball, camping

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"The essence of leadership is that you have to have a vision. You can't blow an uncertain trumpet."  -Theodore M. Hesburgh

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
Hiring good people, setting high expectations, holding people accountable

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Get the monkey off your back.

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
A better understanding of what tools top leaders use to be effective.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Ann Manwaring

Ann Manwaring
Representative
Vermont

Education: B.A. Economics and Business Administration, Ohio Wesleyan University; M.S. Internet Strategy Management/Technology, Marlboro College Graduate Center
Profession: Small business owner
Family: Single
Pets: Black lab, Jim
Hobbies: Photography, travel and political/policy junkie

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"The real leader has no need to lead - he/she is content to point the way."  -Henry Miller

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
Keep focused on the goal, bring others with you.  Give staff good training, good reinforcement and give them their wings.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Dare to be different

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
New tools to get powerful people to think differently.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Alan Williams

Alan Williams
Representative
Florida

Education: B.S. & M.B.A., Florida A&M University
Profession: Marketing and Business Consultant
Family: Wife, Opal - Daughter, Adrianna - Son, Alan
Pets: None
Hobbies: Reading, basketball, baseball, football and golf

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy."  -Martin Luther King, Jr.

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
Effective leadership involves several fundamental principles: critical thinking, social change, decision-making and relationships.  Leaders must envision what the world will be years from now, and anticipate the problems that we may face, while finding creative ways to avoid those issues and being innovative in their solutions. Lastly, without the ability to form relationships with others, no individual can be effective without the ability to compromise with other leaders who have different viewpoints. At the end of the day it is all about relationships.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
One of the best pieces of advice I ever heard was quoted by Howard Thurman who said: "Don't ask yourself what the world needs.  Ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that.  Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
The Toll Fellow experience will help foster my growth and progress as an effective legislator.  This program creates the opportunity of exchanging ideas, training and learning from other effective leaders from other states and other branches of government on what I can do to advance in my leadership role and duty.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Mildred Edwards

Mildred Edwards
Executive Director, African American Affairs Commission
Kansas

Education: B.S. Healthcare Administration, M.P.H and Ph.D. in Psychology from Witchita State University
Profession: Executive Director of the Kansas African American Affairs Commission and member of the Kansas Board of Regents
Family: Daughter, Leah
Pets: No time for pets, would love to have a puppy though
Hobbies: Reading, traveling and developing the leadership potential of women

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"Leadership develops daily, not in a day."  -John Maxwell

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
The very essence of leadership is you have a vision.  It's got to be a vision one articulates clearly and refreshes often. Uncertainty will guarantee an undesignated outcome!

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Hurt people, hurt people.  When working with others, always remember to affirm others.

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
Increased exposure to best practices in state government and the opportunity to learn from other regions.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Elliot Pagliaccio

Elliot Paggliaccio
Deputy Comptroller
New York

Education: M.A. in Social Work
Profession: Deputy Comptroller
Family: Wife, Wendy - Daughter, Libby - Stepsons, Alex and Spencer
Pets: Dog, Lily
Hobbies: Tennis, softball, reading and chess

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do and become more, you are a leader."  -John Quincy Adams

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
I believe effective leadership requires defining the key guiding principles prior to developing the plan of action.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
To reach out and listen to a broad and diverse range of key players and stakeholders before onset of any new major initiative.

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
An opportunity to reflect and refine my thinking on ways to enhance succession planning and professional development in state government, as well as ways that government can partner with the not-for-profit sector.

Meet the 2012 Tolls: Alan Calandro

Alan Calandro
Director, Office of Fiscal Analysis
Connecticut

Education: B.S. Business, UCONN; M.A.Government, College of William and Mary
Profession: Director, Office of Fiscal Analysis
Family: Wife, 2 children
Pets: None
Hobbies: Sports, woodworking

1. What is your favorite leadership quote?
"Do not follow where the path may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."  -Ralph Waldo Emerson

2. What do you think is the key to effective leadership?
Vision, and the overcoming of obstacles to achieve it.

3. What is the best piece of advice you ever received?
Don't think of ways that things can't be done, think of ways that things can be done - and get it done.

4. What do you hope to get out of your Toll Fellows experience?
I hope to expand my overall abilities in working with groups of people.  To enhance my leadership skills so that the course of action when faced with obstacles is clearer and comes more quickly and naturally.