My name is Katie Berube and I am currently a student in the DTL (Doctor of Transformational Leadership) Program. In addition to my studies at BGU, I have a ministry in Antigua, Guatemala, called Abeja. We are a social business partnering with women in our community to provide dignified and safe employment. Everything about what we do is holistic. In addition to sustainable economic opportunities, we offer weekly therapy sessions, Bible study and discipleship classes, and weekly prayer meetings where we can really intercede for our community.

Our program was directly birthed because of my studies at BGU. It was really the understanding of transformational leadership principles that I was challenged to take a step back, humbly ask questions, and analyze together with women in the community from their cultural perspective, what was the need, what they wanted, and then develop together a sustainable solution. The women who started as a part of our project are now literally acting as transformational leaders within their communities. They are running an expanding business where they are creating opportunities to hire more and more women. They also are acting as advocates by expanding the holistic support services we offer based on needs they see within their community.

We are now three years into our ministry and social business and the adaptation and growth continues. I recently took the ASM 701 Organizational Assessment course that is offered in the business school with Dr. Scholastica Wilson-Olagunju, Director of the EMBA Program. It proved to be so vital in terms of providing a literal toolbox of strategies to take and use as we make plans for adaptation and growth moving forward. The course added so much value to our work as we continue to level up and expand bothfrom a ministry and business perspective.