From 2016 through 2019, Lisa W. Wardell, one of America’s most prominent CEOs, served as president and CEO of Adtalem. Adtalem Global Education Inc. is a significant labor supplier and the parent company of several top colleges in the United States, including the Caribbean School of Medicine and Ross University.
She is said to have earned $6 million in total remuneration as the former CEO of Adtalem. According to salary.com, $1.1 million was paid as salary, with the remainder receiving as compensation and other related benefits. She was in charge of Adtalem’s strategic repositioning, as well as aligning the firms that Adtalem had bought and leading their profitability. The impact of her involvement was reflected in the remarkable results of the universities’ students, as she became the only African-American female chairman and CEO in the S& 400 Index.
Aside from the position she held, she has an amazing track record based on her extensive job experience. Wardell recognized the honor conferred upon her as a first-generation college graduate at a young age. According to Acams Today, she began working at the age of 14 to support her scholastic needs through college.She has held a number of senior management positions since then, including executive vice president and chief operating officer for The RLJ Companies. Wardell supervised strategic mergers, acquisitions, and corporate strategy for the corporation in that job, according to her LinkedIn page. Her depth of expertise and experience, which is sought after by many corporate boards in the United States, is due to three essential principles to which she has adhered to.
The former Adtalem CEO believes that in order for business executives and entrepreneurs to ignite the change they seek in their field, they must have mentors who advise them in their decisions. Mentors, she believes, establish the foundation for long-term success by providing insights into new talents, constructive feedback, and counsel when it matters most. Mentors, she believes, serve as a mirror that enables leaders to recognize and capitalize on the power of constructive feedback.
Mentors are extremely important in the development of a firm or a business leader. According to a survey of Fortune 500 executives, 75% of female CEOs attribute their success to corporate mentorship. According to a study conducted by the Association for Talent Development, one-quarter of women business entrepreneurs started their company to inspire other women to do the same. This is supported by a survey finding that 61 percent of female business owners work day jobs while pushing the boundaries to create their own firms. Many women are now developing their own company ideas, which is linked to corporate mentorship.
While multiple studies support her previous position, another element that has propelled Wardell to greater heights is her faith in sponsors. They are internal stakeholders in the organization, according to her. She describes them as “channels that provide a leader with the exposure needed by the people who matter.” Sponsors are essentially champions who safeguard a leader when they are not present, she noted, citing her experience at The RLJ Companies, where sponsors were a significant part of her success. According to the Black executive, she was exposed to other top management executives, which broadened her experience as she ascended the corporate ladder.
Wardell also feels that leaders must grasp the significance of giving back. Giving back can take many forms, she says, such as acting as a mentor to make another connection more meaningful or being a sponsor to a coworker. She also emphasizes the importance of developing a network of mentor-sponsorship positions.
Wardell previously worked as a principal at private-equity firm Katalyst Venture Partners, which invested in technology start-up companies. He has a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College, a law degree from Stanford University, and an MBA from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. She also worked as an attorney in the Federal Communications Commission’s commercial wireless division.