CEO Column - EmBe

Childcare Crisis Statement from EmBe CEO Kerri Tietgen: December 2023

Mikena VanLiere2023-12-19T14:11:16-06:00

The recent announcements regarding the closure of licensed centers in Sioux Falls and its surrounding areas have far-reaching implications for families, children, and the local workforce. This underscores the pressing need for quality childcare services, as over 54,000 families in South Dakota depend on them. As a community, we understand the critical role of childcare in supporting the workforce, and we compel our communities and the state to collaborate on solutions that meet the needs of families and children. EmBe has been engaged in meaningful discourse to navigate this challenging situation with a focus on the well-being of children, families, [...]

Childcare Crisis Statement from EmBe CEO Kerri Tietgen: December 2023Mikena VanLiere2023-12-19T14:11:16-06:00

EmBe CEO Column: April 2023

Mikena VanLiere2023-03-29T12:22:13-05:00

Transitioning into Spring Despite the piles of snow remaining, it’s official – Spring is here! After a long (and cold) winter, I'm sure everyone is just as eager to transition into a new season as I am. Spring has always been my favorite season. Perhaps it’s the budding energy, the awakening of the community after the hibernation of winter, and the freshness of growth everywhere you look. Or perhaps it’s that my birthday and EmBe anniversary is also in the same week of the beginning of Spring, regardless I love spring. One of my favorite things about living in this [...]

EmBe CEO Column: April 2023Mikena VanLiere2023-03-29T12:22:13-05:00

EmBe CEO Column: November 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-11-08T11:34:21-06:00

Get out and Vote In case you weren’t aware…. In case you haven’t noticed, there is an election happening. If you’re like me, you may be fatigued by the political advertisements, solicitations, and some of the ‘dirty politics’ that accompany each election. Perhaps that’s why the right to vote, suffrage, sounds so much like suffer. We “suffer” through the political season to finally get to lift our voices through the right to vote. The reality is, the word suffrage comes from Latin suffragium, which initially meant “a voting tablet” or a “ballot” or a “vote”… ultimately becoming, the right to [...]

EmBe CEO Column: November 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-11-08T11:34:21-06:00

EmBe CEO Column: September 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-09-16T11:05:25-05:00

Celebrating the Undying Agents of Change Despite my fortunate upbringing in a mild-mannered, midwestern town, I frequently lack patience in the face of injustice. While polite discourse and temperance are values I’ve shared with countless friends, neighbors, and colleagues, we’ve collectively seen our patience wane in our individual pursuit of progress and impact. As the past two years further revealed our urgent need for systematic change and equitable solutions across all sectors of society and commerce, I notice my own persistence at my best, and impatience at my worst. Yet, there is no better time to allow the 100-year anniversary [...]

EmBe CEO Column: September 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-09-16T11:05:25-05:00

EmBe CEO Column: August 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-08-10T10:08:31-05:00

Advancing Everyone’s Business Gratitude can be a difficult feeling for us to access under challenging circumstances and none seem to be as challenging as the childcare crisis impacting parents and providers today. As I take this time to reflect in the quiet, the stressful memories of the week dissipate, and scenes from our classrooms surface in their place. My mind goes to the moments where I watch teachers give their undivided attention to each student, the tears they shed as their students learn something new, and the sadness on their faces when a student progresses to a new room. Just [...]

EmBe CEO Column: August 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-08-10T10:08:31-05:00

EmBe CEO Column: July 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-07-15T12:54:03-05:00

Dare to Raise, Rise2Raise “They’re just like us.” That’s the recurring thought of this past month at EmBe. It was the first thought that came to my mind as I sat in a circle of past and present board members recently. The statement’s on repeat, in my mind and out loud, as we peruse the pages of our 100-year-old history. My heart races at any discovery that triggers it and my spirit dances with each jaw-dropping move made by our sisters and allies of the past. If you can’t tell, we’re uncovering our history from the pages of scrapbooks that [...]

EmBe CEO Column: July 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-07-15T12:54:03-05:00

The CEO Column: June 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-06-20T11:10:38-05:00

Finding Hope Here We remember how much a human can bear in the wake of unthinkable tragedy. Every parent who celebrated the start of summer held the joy of their child’s achievement in tandem with the shared grief of parents in Texas. Every parent who dropped their child off for daycare bore the weight of uncertainty as each child who’s completed an active shooter drill may understand the uncertainty each day may hold. Couple the weight of our shared reality with the prolonged sense of uncertainty we’ve experienced over the last two years and the burden of these experiences may [...]

The CEO Column: June 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-06-20T11:10:38-05:00

The CEO Column: May 2022

Mikena VanLiere2022-05-04T15:16:37-05:00

Securing the Next Century of EmBe’s Impact Over the last 100 years, EmBe has been on a mission to empower women, children, and families to enrich lives. In 1922, our founders were the first to recognize the power of women gathering. They established an organization focused on women’s voices, work, and ability to solve community issues together. We weren’t just the first to offer women a dedicated place in the community. We are also the first to shelter battered women, the first to pay tribute to their impact, and the first to advance their children’s care by piloting preschool in [...]

The CEO Column: May 2022Mikena VanLiere2022-05-04T15:16:37-05:00

Walking in Our Power

Ngoc Thach2022-03-01T17:29:38-06:00

The CEO Column: Walking in Our Power The Revolution Continues with You by Kerri Tietgen In Korean, “black lives matter” translates to “흑인의 생명은 소중하다,” or in other words, black lives are precious. It’s a simple but significant difference that rocked me to my core. Black lives… and all lives are precious, a sentiment that we strive to communicate and live in our culture at EmBe. As an Asian American woman in our community, this one-word difference is powerful. And based on the response I received when I shared this on my social media this week, this pure recognition of [...]

Walking in Our PowerNgoc Thach2022-03-01T17:29:38-06:00

The CEO Column: December 2021

Ngoc Thach2022-01-03T15:02:57-06:00

The CEO Column: Structured to Grow Building Resilience into the Four Pillars of EmBe by Kerri Tietgen As a pioneering organization founded on the heels of the women’s suffrage movement, EmBe has sustained itself through the most disruptive events in history. From the Great Depression to World War II and from the Great Recession to our ongoing battle against COVID-19, EmBe leaders have prioritized women, children, and families above all else, anticipating and meeting their needs through every twist in history. This is why it feels so darn odd to talk about building resilience into a century-old organization, particularly one [...]

The CEO Column: December 2021Ngoc Thach2022-01-03T15:02:57-06:00