The popular Quest program at Leadership Greater Hartford has a new leader, Wanda Correa.
An attorney by training, Correa combined the mommy track with consulting work that revolved around her children’s lives. It was an effective combination, so much so that it helped her land her current position.
Correa previously worked as the magnet school liaison for West Hartford Public Schools and coordinated projects for the Connecticut Women’s Education and Legal Fund, Boundless Playgrounds and West Hartford Conversations on Race. Prior to moving to Connecticut, she worked in Philadelphia as legislative director for a city councilman and served as special counsel for a district attorney’s office. Earlier in her career she worked in Washington, D.C. as legislative assistant for a New York congressman.
“This is exactly where I need to be right now. It brings together everything I have done to this point,” said Correa, an effusive mother of two. “The one connection has always been working with the community. I’ve always been very involved with the community.”
Correa is excited about her new position because it involves solving larger community problems through individual participation.
Quest is made up of 41 people from Greater Hartford who come from large corporations, small business and nonprofits.
“We need to realize our responsibility to work collaboratively together. We can’t just say it’s one person’s responsibility,” Correa said.
In her new role, Correa serves as a coach to the 41 participants in Quest. She will put together workshops for the group and also deal with community groups who want their projects and needs addressed.
“I’d like to inspire all these leaders to be more effective, not only in their own workplaces, but in the work they do in the community,” she said.
It’s a logical progression for her.
“When I first graduated college, I wanted to change the world,” she said, adding that she “cut her teeth” by working in Congress. Correa said it dawned on her then that the people changing the world were lawyers. So, she went to law school and graduated to a job with the Philadelphia District Attorney’s office.
But then her daughters arrived, her husband got a job as a corporate attorney, and it was time to dial back. “The best place to start changing the world was locally at home with my daughters,” she said.
