Have you ever heard of the phrase, "it's like herding cats?" The phrase reflects on the difficulty of commanding individuals into a group for commitment and purpose. Well that is Courtney Bailey's job every day and she absolutely ROCKS it. I first met Courtney virtually as she lead my Leadership Austin Essential 42 cohort for 10 months with kindness, empathy and grace. We managed to complete our entire cohort virtually under Courtney's fearless leadership. She also has a fierceness about her that you see in the passionate work that she does for the community. Anyone who has the opportunity to interact with Courtney will be better for it. It is easy to say that she is smart and beautiful however, there is actually no more appropriate way to describe the absolute wonder that Courtney is, than using her own words about our Essential 42 cohort pushing through an entirely virtual program. During a time that all are simply exasperated by a pandemic, as the leader of our cohort she challenged us to lean into the discomfort. Sometimes that meant being angry, crying, accepting of non-closure and most importantly being courageous enough to show up fully through it all. Courtney did that and more every single time. Through personal and professional challenges Courtney Bailey is triumphant always showing up and showing out looking every bit like a regal yet stylish, unbothered queen. I am excited to follow along on Courtney's continued journey as her best self always doing it for the greater good of everyone she is around.

I had the pleasure of working with Courtney from 2019 to 2021 as an Issues and Engagement Intern. I could not have asked for a better supervisor! Courtney leads with empathy and centers equity in everything she does. She is creative, compassionate, and skilled at facilitating dialogue across differences. Under her direction, Engage and Essential have grown exponentially in terms of quality and representation. I will always value the time I spent learning from and collaborating with Courtney. She is an exceptional leader and mentor whose work actively enriches the Austin community.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, "it's like herding cats?" The phrase reflects on the difficulty of commanding individuals into a group for commitment and purpose. Well that is Courtney Bailey's job every day and she absolutely ROCKS it. I first met Courtney virtually as she lead my Leadership Austin Essential 42 cohort for 10 months with kindness, empathy and grace. We managed to complete our entire cohort virtually under Courtney's fearless leadership. She also has a fierceness about her that you see in the passionate work that she does for the community. Anyone who has the opportunity to interact with Courtney will be better for it. It is easy to say that she is smart and beautiful however, there is actually no more appropriate way to describe the absolute wonder that Courtney is, than using her own words about our Essential 42 cohort pushing through an entirely virtual program. During a time that all are simply exasperated by a pandemic, as the leader of our cohort she challenged us to lean into the discomfort. Sometimes that meant being angry, crying, accepting of non-closure and most importantly being courageous enough to show up fully through it all. Courtney did that and more every single time. Through personal and professional challenges Courtney Bailey is triumphant always showing up and showing out looking every bit like a regal yet stylish, unbothered queen. I am excited to follow along on Courtney's continued journey as her best self always doing it for the greater good of everyone she is around.

I had the pleasure of working with Courtney from 2019 to 2021 as an Issues and Engagement Intern. I could not have asked for a better supervisor! Courtney leads with empathy and centers equity in everything she does. She is creative, compassionate, and skilled at facilitating dialogue across differences. Under her direction, Engage and Essential have grown exponentially in terms of quality and representation. I will always value the time I spent learning from and collaborating with Courtney. She is an exceptional leader and mentor whose work actively enriches the Austin community.

Have you ever heard of the phrase, "it's like herding cats?" The phrase reflects on the difficulty of commanding individuals into a group for commitment and purpose. Well that is Courtney Bailey's job every day and she absolutely ROCKS it. I first met Courtney virtually as she lead my Leadership Austin Essential 42 cohort for 10 months with kindness, empathy and grace. We managed to complete our entire cohort virtually under Courtney's fearless leadership. She also has a fierceness about her that you see in the passionate work that she does for the community. Anyone who has the opportunity to interact with Courtney will be better for it. It is easy to say that she is smart and beautiful however, there is actually no more appropriate way to describe the absolute wonder that Courtney is, than using her own words about our Essential 42 cohort pushing through an entirely virtual program. During a time that all are simply exasperated by a pandemic, as the leader of our cohort she challenged us to lean into the discomfort. Sometimes that meant being angry, crying, accepting of non-closure and most importantly being courageous enough to show up fully through it all. Courtney did that and more every single time. Through personal and professional challenges Courtney Bailey is triumphant always showing up and showing out looking every bit like a regal yet stylish, unbothered queen. I am excited to follow along on Courtney's continued journey as her best self always doing it for the greater good of everyone she is around.

I had the pleasure of working with Courtney from 2019 to 2021 as an Issues and Engagement Intern. I could not have asked for a better supervisor! Courtney leads with empathy and centers equity in everything she does. She is creative, compassionate, and skilled at facilitating dialogue across differences. Under her direction, Engage and Essential have grown exponentially in terms of quality and representation. I will always value the time I spent learning from and collaborating with Courtney. She is an exceptional leader and mentor whose work actively enriches the Austin community.