Krieger alumna Leslie Farnsworth reveals what's behind her fierce dedication to Hopkins and her mission to re-engage alumni and enrich the student experience as chair of the Second Decade Society. View the original posting at rising.jhu.edu.

1. "SDS keeps you informed, engaged, and excited
— Who doesn't want to be a part of that?"
Marketing strategy guru Leslie Farnsworth helps Hopkins re-engage alumni
in their 30s and 40s as chair of the Krieger School's Second Decade Society
Posted February 18, 2016 | rising.jhu.edu/second-decade-society
By Kristin Hanson
If you can't find entrepreneur and KriegerSchoolalumna Leslie Farnsworth
at one of the two Houston-based firms she founded,turn your eyes
northeast. Far northeast. To Baltimore, where she leads the Second Decade
Society, a leadership developmentboard for alumni 10 to 20 years out.
"Leslie has come to campus and to so many events over the past year, it's
been extraordinary," says Lindsay Esposito,assistant directorfor volunteer
leadership in the Krieger Schoolof Arts and Sciences and manager of the
Second Decade Society."She places Hopkins at the forefrontof what she
does."
The Second Decade Societyis dedicated to enriching the student
experience for Homewood undergraduates and preparing them for life after
Hopkins.
Members of the volunteer board make a tangible impact through career
services and counseling, summerinternship grants, and the Florence
"Meg" Walsh Leadership Award — a $25,000 stipend given annually to one
graduating Krieger Schoolsenior to designand conductan international
independentproject.
Farnsworth, A&S '96, founder and CEO of FrogDog,a national branding
and marketing strategy consulting firm, and owner of Twin Flames

2. Properties,a commercialreal estate developer,rolls off the board this
summer following her tenure as chair. She shares her thoughts
with Rising about what's behind her fierce dedicationto Hopkins and her
favorite memories from her Second Decade service.
Why is Hopkins so important for you to support, even from thousands of
miles away?
I had so many great professors,Nancy Streuver, Dick Macksey, to name a
couple.It was a formative experience in the truest sense of the phrase.
People assume that because I own a marketing strategy company that I
have a business or communications degree.I don't. I majored in
humanities — the history of ideas, how people go from thinking one way
about a topic to another. And that's basically marketing, isn't it? That
started at Hopkins.
What prompted you to re-engage withHopkins as a volunteer leader?
You don't realize when you're at Hopkins, as a student, how lucky you are
to be surrounded by brilliant people doing coolstuff. Then you graduate,
move away, and your conversations with other people are so different.I
missed the Hopkins people.When I moved home to Houston, I looked up
the Alumni Associationchapter and eventually served on its board and as
its presidentfor a few years.
What have you enjoyed most about your time on the SecondDecade Society?
A lot of what we do directly engages current students at Hopkins. I feel like
I'm making a difference.I can empathize with them and rememberwhat
they're going through. I’m established in my career now, but it wasn't too
long ago that wasn't the case.

3. Can you give an example?
We heard a student last fall describe her Walsh Leadership Award project,
which was to start a street newspaper in South America, something to
engage and help the homeless.When she got there, though, she ran into a
lot of frustrations because she'd made some incorrect cultural assumptions.
She had to do a lot of improvising, and some parts of her project just
weren't doable.
She seemed really disappointed,so I and some other members of the
Second Decade Societyspoke with her afterward. I told her that she'd had
a hugely valuable life and learning experience;that this is exactly what you
go to Hopkins for. You try, you hit a wall sometimes,and you struggle to
come up with another solution. It was an eye-opening experience for her.
What's been your biggestpriority as the board's chair?
Clarifying our strategy. Our board is engaged,but the focus has mostly
been on "What do we need to do this year?" rather than an overarching
strategy from which everything cascades.We've had some confusionabout
what the dues were going toward, what activities we're expected to take
part in. I'm working to clarify that organizing principle to have better
engagementwith the dean and the schooland better use our time and
money. It's not sexy, but it's important.
Why is this alumni leadershipboard important for the Krieger School and
Hopkins?
Membership in the Second Decade Societycoincides with an age when
alumni are starting to pick their philanthropic priorities. Dean Beverly
Wendland has been wonderful about engaging with us, looping us in to her
schooland campaign priorities.

4. We also listen to presentations not just from the KriegerSchool,but other
areas of the university. I've realized that they're telling us about a variety of
things to find out what lights our fire and to stay involved after our time on
this board.
The Second Decade Societykeeps you informed,engaged,and excited —
and ready to give back. Who doesn'twant to be a part of that?