1. What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of your job?
I’m new to Capitol Lakes and working in a newly created position. The most challenging aspect right now is that I don’t know what I don’t know. But I am having a great time discovering puzzle pieces and seeing how they fit together so far.
On the other hand, I can say absolutely that the most rewarding aspect of this job is and will continue to be working for and with the residents. I’ve been to some committee meetings, a resident association meeting, and a life celebration remembering those residents who had died recently. At each occasion, residents talked about the true community they have with each other. They talked about this with surprise and gratitude.
People moved to Capitol Lakes for the amenities and the location. It seems they did not expect, at this stage in their lives, to develop new friendships and find a deep sense of belonging. The residents support the success of the foundation because they know it means not just enhancing their community today but continuing the legacy for those who will follow.
2. Who do you look up to or admire in business?
I admire Crystel Anders, executive director of Community Shares of Wisconsin, because she walks the walk. I have worked with Crystel over the years in different capacities, and I know she shares my passion for strengthening and expanding the effectiveness of nonprofits. I see her live that passion in her “day job” and many of her extracurriculars.
In 2014, Madison Magazine named Community Shares one of the best places to work in Madison — after employees submitted the nomination. That is true leadership. And after watching too many tiny nonprofits with great missions struggle to keep their lights on, Crystel created the Center for Change, a project of Community Shares.
The center is a membership-based, shared-resource facility that, among many benefits, also provides low-cost, high-quality office space and business amenities in downtown Madison for small and emerging nonprofits. The center provides free and low-cost quality training and legal, accounting, and other professional consulting. But most of all, Crystel’s vision for creating an environment that fosters communication and collaboration among nonprofits is now a reality at the center.
3. What has been the high point of your career so far?
Not to pander to my new bosses, but I am now at the highest point of my career, and it feels great. In this newly created position, I can bring to bear all my experience and training in fundraising, volunteerism, nonprofit operations, collaboration, community-building, and program development.
I also get to work with an amazing brain trust all under one roof — the residents. The compilation of education, fields of study, talents, passions, and work and life experiences is profound. And residents are lining up to help me.
In addition, because Capitol Lakes is so well regarded in the continuing care retirement community industry, I will pursue external collaborative opportunities in which we can share our expertise and make inroads on aging issues. I believe we can help lead the charge on educating the industry and perhaps influence policies on empowering older adults to attain the quality of life they seek.
Finally, after having moved away from fundraising for a time, I am looking forward to rejoining my very knowledgeable and generous posse in the Madison chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals.
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4. Thinking back on your career, what advice would you give your 21-year-old self?
Boy, I actually think about this question periodically, and wouldn’t you know, my answer changes over the years. My first piece of advice would be — and as a 21-year-old I would no doubt ignore it — don’t stop exercising, drink more water, and for Pete’s sake, use sunscreen! (I was a baby-oil-basted sun worshipper.)
My second piece of advice would be, remember that when you are being evaluated as a good fit for a job or project or friend or mate, you must also evaluate whether it’s a good fit for you. That said, understanding what “fit” means takes time and changes as experience grows.
So my third piece of advice would be, always stay open to interactions with new people and continue to experiment with new ways of being and doing.
5. Do you have any secret talents or abilities that people would be surprised to discover?
A couple of years ago my husband and I took up long-distance bicycling — on a tandem. He had way more biking miles per season than I did because he bikes to work. Our first goal was joining friends for RAGBRAI 2013 — the Des Moines Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa, a seven-day, 400-plus-mile journey of 20,000 riders through small towns, starting at the Missouri River and ending at the Mississippi. (By the way, Iowa is not flat.)
Because of our cold-weather wimpiness, we had about four months to get the recommended 1,000 training miles under our Lycra shorts. We actually logged more than 800, thanks to several local biking clubs and groups who mapped out rural, back-road jaunts, plus the fabulous biking trails throughout Dane County we could hop onto easily.
But even greater than developing my ability to ride long distances, and actually enjoy it, was our learning to communicate on the tandem as we navigated the hills and turns and stops. We met many couples along the way who were on individual bikes, claiming they could never ride a tandem together.
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