Models for Effective Leadership: Connectivity and Change Management
Ronald MacLean Abaroa of the The World Bank Institute and Ana Vasilache of the Partners Foundation for Local Development (Partners-Romania) lead a discussion on the importance of effective leadership in achieving good governance, specifically in addressing corruption in local governments through increasing transparency and accountability, as well as decreasing monopoly and discretion. Based on the findings of a new Global Leadership Study, the presentation highlighted key elements such as the ability to connect people and mobilize resources, ideas and meaning to achieve a shared purpose, as more important than personal traits and qualities such as charisma and formal position within an organization. Using as an example, an innovative anti-corruption approach in Central and South Eastern Europe, the presenters explained how working through local leaders and change agents can reduce the incidence of corruption, and change the way local governments perform. The seminar generated a participatory discussion on the challenges and opportunities encountered in different regions of the world to implement this valuable innovation and how to promote leadership to assure impact and sustainability.
Panelists:
Ronald MacLean Abaroa, Former Mayor, La Paz, Bolivia
Ronald MacLean Abaroa was the first democratically elected mayor of La Paz, Bolivia, serving in office from 1985 to 1991 through four reelections. He has held five national cabinet positions in planning, foreign affairs, information and communications, finance, and development, under three Bolivian presidents. In March 2002, he was nominated to represent the National Democratic Action party as the right-wing candidate for Bolivia’s presidency. Currently, Mr. MacLean Abaroa is working with the World Bank as a Lead Public Sector Specialist on Governance, Decentralization, and Poverty Reduction. He also leads Poder Vecinal, a non-profit think-tank promoting citizen empowerment and participation. As a founding member of Transparency International, Mr. MacLean-Abaroa served as the first chairman of Transparency International-Latin America. He currently sits on the organization’s Advisory Council. Mr. MacLean Abaroa holds a Bachelor of Science in Development Economics from the University of Maryland, and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government.
Ana Vasilache, Executive Director, Partners-Romania: Foundation for Local Development
Ms. Ana Vasilache is the Executive Director of Partners-Romania: Foundation for Local Development (FPDL), a Romanian non-governmental organization committed to advancing civil society, building local government capacity, and encouraging citizen participation in Romania’s social and political development. Ms. Vasilache has extensive experience conducting trainings and facilitating workshops on conflict and change management, local government and public service management, and training of trainers. She has worked in Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe, Central and South Asia, and East and West Africa. As executive director of FPDL, she manages a staff of 10 and oversees the implementation of diverse programming. She previously worked for the Romanian Ministry of Public Works and Regional Planning where she was the chief of the Settlements Management Division and worked on policy reform programs. She has also worked as an architect and urban planner and is currently teaching postgraduate courses on urban management and planning, conflict and change management, and leadership.
Ms. Vasilache is listed in the United Nations Program for Human Settlements (UN Habitat) International Roster of Experts under Training Design, Monitoring and Evaluation, Training Course Delivery, Urban Planning, Development of Training Materials, Municipal Management and Administration, and NGO/CBO Organization and Operation. In 2000, she was awarded the UN Habitat Scroll of Honor Award for her efforts to improve local governance in Central and Eastern European countries. She is also the author of such training manuals as the “Training Toolkit for Urban Management” for UN Habitat Kosovo (2002), “Ethnic Diversity and Conflict Management,” for the Open Society Institute’s Managing Multiethnic Communities Project (MMCP) (2003), and the training manual “Restoring the Health of Your Organization – a Practical Guide to Curing and Preventing Corruption in Local Governments,” (2005).
Moderator:
Michael Gadbaw, Vice President, Senior Counsel, General Electric Company
Mr. Gadbaw is currently a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Institute of International Economic Law at Georgetown Law School, Senior Advisor to the US-ASEAN Business Council and serves as Co-Chair of the US-China Legal Cooperation Fund (USCLCF). He is also a Board member of the National Bureau of Asia Research, Partners for Democratic Change (PDC) and the European Institute. At the Institute, Mr. Gadbaw’s research is focused on models and best practices for global regulation. He has helped organize panels and presentations on such issues as the global financial crisis, the prospects for a Bretton Woods II and global regulations for the American Society of International Law, the Institute for International Economic Law and the US Treasury Department. As a Senior Advisor to the US-ASEAN Business Council, he has facilitated that organization’s strategic review. He is an active supporter of efforts to build rule of law capacity in emerging markets, spearheading fundraising efforts for PDC’s Global Leadership Initiative and the 2008-2010 program of the US-China Legal Cooperation Fund. Mr. Gadbaw has served as a consultant, most recently for the World Bank in Mauritania on a project to build a civil society coalition to fight corruption.
