What happens when you combine the mission-driven dedication of a local nonprofit with the firepower of our Emerging Leaders?

The answer: a ripple effect of positive change, enhancing health outcomes and strengthening our entire community. Leadership Council SMC’s Community Acceleration Projects (CAPs) are where Immersion Program participants apply their skills to create lasting impact.

The Project Challenge: Increasing Visibility and Reach of the Community Mammogram Program

The Bay Area Community Health Advisory Council (BACHAC) worked with a CAP team from the Class of 2025 to increase free mammograms provided to the community.

BACHAC's mission is simple, yet essential: eliminate health disparities. One way they're tackling this challenge is through their Community Mammogram Program (CMP) in partnership with Mills-Peninsula Hospital (Sutter Health). But to reach more individuals and ensure effective outreach, BACHAC needed a boost. 

Enter the CAP team.

The Project Results: Tools, Data, and Savings

Through regular meetings over four months, the CAP team worked with BACHAC Executive Director Lisa Tealer and her team to understand the program. Their collaboration delivered: 

• Enhanced Communications: Streamlined approaches and new tools—including a social media toolkit and modernized flyer—have set the stage for greater community engagement and awareness.
• Better Data, Better Outcomes: Recommendations by the CAP team will result in improved information to enhance outreach effectiveness and measure CMP’s success. 
• Real Savings: The CAP team's expertise saved BACHAC thousands of dollars in fees to advance their initiative.

Early Impact: More Residents Getting Screened

While some CAP team recommendations are still being implemented, early results are encouraging. As of September 30, 2025, BACHAC had provided 215 free mammograms—an increase of nearly 80 screenings since June 30. 

That momentum builds on a strong 2024, when 282 community members received free mammograms for the year. Despite hesitancy in the current climate to schedule screenings, participation in the program has increased.

Lisa credits the CAP collaboration for laying the groundwork for sustainable growth:

“We’re on track to meet and exceed past years. And we haven’t even implemented all the recommendations yet,” she said. “The real test will come in 2026, when we’ll have more runway to apply everything we learned.”

Increased Trust Between Partners

The enhanced communications and financial savings are significant, but according to Lisa, the real magic happened beyond the tangible deliverables and will pay dividends for years to come. 

The project brought together all parties, and it fostered new trusting relationships between BACHAC and its community partners. “When you interact with people more regularly toward a shared outcome, the barriers go away, and you get to know one another,” said Lisa, emphasizing the cross-organization connections forged through the project.

‍Leadership Growth Contributes to Community Change

This project demonstrates that when leaders learn through hands-on experience, change happens. By tackling a real community challenge, participants strengthened their leadership skills—bridging organizations, building trust, and improving systems that directly affect community health.

“It was one of the best parts of the program! I learn by doing and love to collaborate and generate ideas,” said Ruby Gómez Harrison, Emerging Leader Alumna. “And Lisa was a great partner. She gave us autonomy, was open to suggestions, and trusted us, which was so important to our team.”

The BACHAC CAP project demonstrates how our programs spark powerful partnerships and lead to community impact. Lisa recommends the CAP program to other nonprofits, "Any organization would benefit from the talent and the outside perspective these leaders bring to address a problem, enhance a program or process, or implement a new idea."

Leadership Council SMC is not just bringing together established and emerging leaders. We're cultivating individuals equipped to strengthen businesses, communities, and San Mateo County as a whole.