An Interview with former Transitions of PA Board Chair, Lisa Steele

This summer, Transitions said good-bye to the Chair of our Board of Directors, Lisa Steele.  Before she left, our Chief Executive Officer, Susan Mathias, sat down with Lisa to discuss her involvement and dedication to ending violence against women and her vision for Transitions' future.

Lisa Steele has served on the Board of Transitions for six years, holding the position of Board Chair for the last three years.  During her time on the Board, the annual budget has grown 20 percent and now exceeds $1 million.  Transitions has become a Comprehensive Crime Victim Services organization with a strong and clear focus on violence against women which shows itself in our society most strongly through domestic violence and sexual assault, including rape. 

I have enjoyed working with you as Chairman of the Transitions Board.  How did you become involved in the organization?

 

Sue Mathias, your sister-in-law, was the Board Chair, as she had been for most of her twenty-plus years of involvement with Transitions.   When she approached me to consider joining the board, I told her that I needed a clear understanding of the mission and financial health of the organization. Once I took a closer look, I decided that I would like to get involved. 

Had you been involved with similar organizations?

I have served on numerous boards over the years but the one that comes closest to our work at Transitions was my participation on the Board of Directors of the Chicago Lying-in Hospital.  Lying-in Hospitals were labor and delivery hospitals that started in many cities at the turn of the 20^th Century.  Ultimately, it became a part of the University of Chicago Medical Center so while I was living in Chicago, I served on the Board.

Many of the clients we served at this hospital had similar life experiences to those of the women we serve at Transitions.  With a focus on pre and post-natal health, many of the health-risk issues for the baby and mother included domestic violence and sexual assault.   Many of the programs that we offered were focused on building the health of the family as a whole.  We even supported a Daddy’s Boot Camp that was very successful in helping new fathers understand their role in building a healthy family.

Why are you leaving the Board of Transitions?

My husband, Glenn, who has been the CEO/President of Geisinger Health Systems these past fifteen years, felt his tenure there was long enough for any one individual.  It was time for a new person to provide leadership.  He has joined xG Health Solutions so we will be splitting our time between Jackson Hole, Wyoming and Washington, DC.

What have you learned during your time with our organization?

When I began, I did not have an understanding of the pervasiveness of domestic violence and tolerance of it in our culture.  The idea that it is present regardless of class, ethnicity or age was a surprise to me.  Only when the staff presented data about people they were helping did this become clear.  I have a scientific background and it was easy to understand the sheer numbers of clients that seek relief, counseling and support to ‘leave’ if they wish and to live safely.  The experience changed my thinking that domestic violence happened to people in “lower class” families.  It is a problem throughout our society.

Why do you think that domestic violence is so misunderstood?

When a problem is visible only in “other” parts of society, it is easy to think, it does not happen in my life and among my friends.  We live in a culture where families do not talk about it.  I am sure this is behavior that has always been part of the human condition but we live in a culture that frowns on talking about private problems.

Is there anything else that you want to add about what you learned from being a part of Transitions?

Learning to be an effective Chairman of the Board was a challenge.  I came in at a time of considerable change.  We always had people on the Board who wanted to be part of a good governing body.  We needed someone to direct the operation and we wanted to be a Board that could get the organization on a proper track.  There is tremendous potential with an excellent Board and staff.  It was a matter of setting expectations, having people active on Committees and reporting what they are doing.  

I feel that the Board is on track and committed to provide the governance that is needed.  I have absolute confidence in the administration and leadership of Transitions.  It is in good shape to meet the challenges ahead.  I expect that means it will continue to expand in ways that stay honed in on the original core purpose of addressing domestic violence and sexual assault.  We are expanding as a Comprehensive Crime Victim Center but we need to address other victimization problems as they relate to domestic and sexual violence. We cannot solve all of the problems in society.

Because Transitions cannot rely too heavily on government funding, it is important that we develop additional means of delivering products and services that people are interested in buying.  An example is the video that the Education Department developed for students with intellectual disabilities using the internet safely.

 What other directions do you see us taking?

Domestic violence and sexual assault will not end in our lifetime, so providing services to clients and prevention education must continue.   Recent development in professional sports with the NFL stepping up to lend its resources to address the problem has been encouraging.  The “No More” Campaign last fall with professional football had an impact and I hope we see more.  We can go a long way to address “Bad Boy” behavior if other professional sports and other sports organizations take action as well.  It should be clear to all athletes that leadership will not turn a blind eye to domestic violence and sexual assault.

Human nature is what it is.  Young people need to get the message from the sports figures who they admire that violence should not be tolerated in any form in a relationship.  Our hope for the future lies with the youth.  If we can structure a safe and healthy environment for them to grow in, we at least give them a chance.  They need to know there are acceptable ways to channel frustration so they can solve problems they may have with anger instead of hurting others.

Lisa, thank you for your service to the Community through Transitions! ~ Susan