Page 18 - LRCC FOCUS Magazine December 2025

Rebecca philanthropic causes. She encourages leaders
Bahar-Cook to embrace mistakes as an essential part of

2025 ATHENA growth and emphasizes viewing challenges
as opportunities to learn and discover
LEADERSHIP possibilities that may have been previously
AWARD unseen. During these moments, she stresses,
RECIPIENT seeking guidance from trusted mentors
is especially valuable. “Find someone you
Leading Through can trust to walk you through decisions. It’s
Connection, hard to make intelligent choices in isolation,”
Collaboration,
and Community Bahar-Cook explained.
Impact
A Lasting Impact on the Community

Bahar-Cook’s dedication to Lansing and
the region extends well beyond her
professional work. Her civic engagement
began with the Ingham County Women’s
Commission, which ultimately led to an
invitation to serve on the Ingham County
Board of Commissioners, where she served
five terms over 11 years. Currently, she serves
on the MSU Board of Trustees, the Capitol
Area Michigan Works! Workforce Development
Board, the Rotary Club of Lansing Board
of Directors, and the UM Health-Sparrow
Specialty Hospital Board. She also participates
in the community as a member of the
Lansing Regional Chamber of Commerce
Policy Committee and Chairs the Capital
Region Community Foundation Marketing
and Communication Committee, applying
her expertise to areas ranging from workforce
development and public health to education
and social services.

“Being part

of ATHENA
WIN Executive
COnnections gave
me a network Showing up and dressing up for charity – Rebecca and Todd at
a charity event for the homeless
of incredible
women filled with Bahar-Cook is especially proud of the impact
she’s made across a wide variety of causes,
love, advice, and often identifying gaps in the social safety net

mentorship.” and applying her skills as a fundraiser to help
fill them. She has been instrumental in raising
significant funds for programs addressing
food insecurity, including helping to create

FOCUS MAGAZINE | DECEMBER 2025

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