Member Spotlight: Elizabeth Mangino Wallace

When I worked full time as a Human Resources Vice President for Lockheed Martin, being actively involved in community service was a dream I hoped to someday realize.  Working 50-60 hours a week with a heavy travel schedule left me with little time for other endeavors.  But that dream began to take shape when I retired.  Joining Impact100 was a logical next step for me.  A women’s collective giving effort would allow me to amplify the impact of my giving, meet and work with like-minded women, and have a strong impact on my community.  

Since joining as a Charter Member in 2017, I’ve become involved in membership recruitment, public relations & communication efforts and events planning.  I’ve introduced friends and colleagues to Impact100 by hosting information sessions and have even become one of the info session presenters.  I’ve leveraged my networking, organization and planning skills post-retirement, and have further fulfilled my desire to serve the local community.  

Impact100 has also had a personal impact on me in terms of helping me recognize what is truly important in life.  I consider myself a work in progress, continually striving to increase my self-awareness and advance my personal and spiritual development.  So, as 2018 drew to a close, I made a choice to give up all personal shopping for calendar year 2019.  My intention was to become less externally focused on adorning my physical being with clothing and accessories, and more internally focused on my spiritual development and what kind of human being I want to be.  

As I write this halfway through the year, I’m still going strong.  It’s a liberating feeling to spend less time thinking about how I look and more time thinking about how I feel and the positive impact I hopefully have on others.  With this choice, along with my strong meditation and yoga practices, I feel I’m on a good path. 

“When I let go of who I am, I become what I might be.”  Lao Tzu