After reviewing this case study, please share examples where you saw transformational leadership in action Described as "pathologically optimistic," Jill Medvedow's commitment to civic causes began when she was young. Raised in New Haven, Connecticut, by parents who were political and social activists, Medvedow admitted that campaigning was something she was exposed to in utero. "My parents taught me how to be a good citizen," she said. "My mother was deeply engaged in volunteering for civic and charitable causes and my father was a prominent elected official. I grew up thinking I was part of the city's political fabric." 5 Through her upbringing, she "learned about the basic mechanics of organizing and how to move an agenda," 6 skill sets that would serve her well in her professional life. Trained as an art historian, Medvedow arrived in Boston in 1986 from Seattle where she had founded a nonprofit contemporary arts center. In 1991 she became the first full-time contemporary curator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, bringing in numerous performing and visual artists from around the world. When she left the Gardner in 1996, Medvedow was determined that her next career move would involve bringing art to a broader public. "I was trying to figure out how to build a bridge between contemporary art and an audience that didn't have a great affection for it," she explained. "I came up with the idea of framing public art projects through the history and landscape of Boston, wh