Two Pasadena Groups Which Develop Home-Grown Leaders Bond, Collaborate

Two very different local organizations with much in common have “found” each other and the resulting collaboration has forged a strong bond.

Leadership Pasadena offers a program that develops local leaders who value diverse perspectives and strive to build resilient and equitable communities and organizations. The mission of the Caltech Y is to enrich student life and challenge students to grow into responsible citizens of the world. 

Leadership Pasadena alumni have joined the Friends, board, and staff of the Caltech Y in eye-catching numbers. The two organizations take similar approaches. 

“The community-first, action-based approach [of the Caltech Y] is very similar to how LP functions,” says Caltech Y student programs coordinator Courtney Reddix (LP ’18, veterans program). Through both nonprofits, he says, you can step outside your comfort zone and engage with others you may never get a chance to interact with otherwise.

Amir Sadjadpour (LP ’22, Caltech PhD ’06), a regular at Caltech Y Friends events, feels that the Caltech Y and LP both are committed to developing home-grown leaders and making a positive impact on the community. He appreciates that both organizations offer training opportunities for members and prioritize diversity and inclusion.

Leadership Pasadena, a prominent Pasadena community-based leadership program and network, aims to develop collaborative, forward-thinking leaders who embrace diverse perspectives and build resilient, equitable communities and organizations. The Caltech Y does similar work on a campus scale. The 107-year-old organization (not affiliated with the YMCA/YWCA) complements the exceptional training in science and engineering that Caltech offers its students, helping them to engage civically, try out adventurous challenges, and build their social, cultural, and ethical awareness.

To that end, students develop and lead the Caltech Y’s programs. The staff, board, and Friends pitch in with expertise, elbow grease, and funding. Students serve meals at the local homeless shelter, invite influential activists to speak at Caltech, collect gently used lab equipment for schools in need, dedicate holiday breaks to science policy and service trips, explore the outdoors, tutor and read to schoolchildren, and organize Make a Difference Day and WorldFest on campus.

Caltech staff members Leslie Maxfield (LP ’18, Caltech BS ’95), Mitch Aiken (LP ’14), and Ann Motrunich (LP ’12) joined chair Cindy Bengtson (LP ’17) and secretary Katie Clark (LP ’20, also a Caltech staff member), on the Caltech Y board this year. Maxfield notes that she was drawn to the organization because she wants to help students connect with opportunities outside the classroom and lab so they will thrive and have enjoyable, enriching Caltech experiences.

The RISE program, where Caltech students tutor and mentor local K-12 students, is especially dear to Aiken’s heart. “It is an incredible gift to the community,” he says. The logistical powerhouses behind RISE and other programs are Liz Jackman (LP ’18), who is the Caltech Y’s associate director of student programs, and Reddix. Caltech staff member Vicki Chiu (LP ’20) helps communicate the organization’s accomplishments in stunning annual reports and other design–intensive projects.

Applications for Leadership Pasadena’s 2024 program are currently open to local leaders who want to grow their skills, connect with others, and engage in community service. “The fact that so many LP alums have come together to serve the Caltech Y shows how LP creates bonds beyond its own classrooms and how it propels its graduates out into the wider community,” says Bengtson.

For more information about Leadership Pasadena, please visit www.leadershippasadena.org.

For more information about the Caltech Y, please visit www.caltechy.org.