What qualities do you expect to see in a highly effective leader?
Highly effective leaders. Strong communication skills, guts, people have to know their leader is willing to take calculated risks, not silly risks, but calculated risks, optimism, courage, sensitivity, some sense of compassion, humility, and peace.-Brenda Newberry (25 sec.)
Brenda Newberry, Chairman & CEO, The Newberry Group, Inc., Class of 2000-01
Brenda D. Newberry, Chairman & CEO, founded The Newberry Group, Inc. in August 1996 following a prestigious career spanning over 20 years in network and systems software. Today, The Newberry Group is a global IT consultancy with more than 135 employees. The company has distinguished itself as a leading technology services firm by providing the technical competence and the proven capacity and capability to meet the needs of a wide variety of clients.
Ms. Newberry holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Business Management and served with distinction in the U.S. Air Force for six years. In 1978, she was selected as one of twelve outstanding airmen representing the Air Force in Europe. Before starting her own company, she worked with a major defense contractor, then with a major credit card company. There, she advanced to Vice President and was a successful international executive responsible for the global growth of a profit and loss business unit providing imaging technology worldwide.
Newberry is one of the few small business owners to be elected to the board of directors of publicly-held companies. She serves on the board of The Laclede Group, Inc. (NYSE) and Enterprise Financial Services Corporation (NASDAQ).
Ms. Newberry and her husband, Maurice, have been married since 1972 and have two daughters. Yasmin graduated Cum Laude with a Bachelor’s degree in Journalism and a Juris Doctor (JD) Degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia (Mizzou). Cherie graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Finance from Mizzou.
The Newberry Group and Ms. Newberry have received numerous awards including:
- 2007 Webster University School of Business & Technology Alumni of the Year
- 2007 Distinguished Entrepreneur Award (Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. State Celebration Commission of MO)
- 2006 IT Firm of the Year Midwest Region (MED – Chicago)
- 2006 Scott AFB Chapter AFCEAN of the Year
- 2006 Athena Leadership Foundation Award
- Regional Top 50 Award (RCGA and Deloitte) in 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007
- Deloitte & Touché Regional Technology Fast 50 (3rd in 2001, 11th in 2002, 2nd in 2003)
- Deloitte & Touché National Technology Fast 500 (ranked 175th in 2001, 210th in 2003, 144th in 2004, 225th in 2005, 375th in 2006)
- Inc. 500/5,000 America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies (269th in 2004, 275th in 2005; 4,533rd in 2006)
- 2005 SBA Missouri Small Business Person of the Year
- 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year – St. Louis American and RCGA
- 2002 Missouri Small Business of the Year (Governor’s Award)
Ms. Newberry also serves on the following boards:
- FOCUS St. Louis
- Matthews-Dickey Boy’s and Girl’s Club
- Missouri Small Business Development Centers Statewide Advisory Board
- Muny
- RCGA
- Regional Business Council
- SSM Health Care
- St. Louis Forum
- United Services for the Handicap, Inc.
- United Way
- Veteran’s Resource Center
- Webster University
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