Sonya Mau knows what happens when a community doesn’t invest in cultivating leaders from within.
It happened in her hometown, back in Arkansas. The big employer there – a lock manufacturer – decided to leave town. That loss, Mau said, revealed a broader lack of reinvestment and collaboration, and the town’s been withering ever since.
Mau’s work in Bloomington-Normal – her adopted hometown for the last 48 years – has helped insulate this community from a similar fate. Mau was instrumental in the development of the Multicultural Leadership Institute and its flagship Multicultural Leadership Program (MCLP), serving as its first executive director. Over 300 people have graduated MCLP in the past 15 years, emerging as city council, school board and nonprofit board members across Bloomington-Normal.
“The pathways to power in a beautiful little community like ours are hard to find. If you weren’t born into the network, or you didn't go to school with the right powerful network, it was very hard to find out who you should be working with, because everybody was happy with their own group, right?” Mau said. “Part of the goal (of MCLP) was to ensure we had a stronger community by sharing diverse perspectives.”
Mau retired from Country Financial in 2009, right when MCLP was formed. In those early days, the group ran lean and risked burning out the energy of its limited volunteers, said MCLP founder Phani Aytam. Mau came aboard and helped the group pivot to a more sustainable path – including roping in a lot more volunteers.
“She would really get to know (those volunteers). Spend some time understanding what their needs are. That’s who she is,” Aytam said. “She cares immensely, deeply about people around her. She wants to make sure that they are successful.”
Mau’s view of leadership (which she laid out in a 2018 TedX talk) emphasizes the power and appreciation of diverse perspectives, plus learning who you are and how to manage yourself, so that you’re ready when the community taps you on the shoulder.
“If you don’t know yourself enough to have the courage to go with your gut – your mind and your gut – then you’re not going to be a great leader,” Mau said.
On top of cultivating leaders, Mau has served in leadership roles herself in Bloomington-Normal, with groups such as the United Way of McLean County’s Women United. For her efforts, Mau was named Normal Citizen of the Year in 2022.
“As our communities continue to grow and evolve, it’s more important than ever people volunteer to help shape the community of today for the residents of tomorrow,” Normal Mayor Chris Koos said at the time. “Sonya’s passion for our community can be defined with the hallmarks of personal and professional development, service and leadership.”
By the way, MCLP hosts its 15th anniversary celebration April 26, and the MCLP Class of 2024 graduation is April 27. Tickets are available.
