Over the last few years I have been incredibly fortunate to take on several roles on the Board of DC EcoWomen. First, as a member of the Professional Development Committee where I learned the ropes of planning our signature event, EcoHour, and eventually became the vice president of that team. With the aid of several smart, innovative and hard-working women, we altered the standard format of that offering from a lecture style to a fireside chat interview format, doubled the number of intimate mentoring events to ten per year and very intentionally diversified the topics, perspectives and broadened the lens of leadership of these events to highlight women of color, interfaith women, and to draw members of all ages.
I look back at those learning experiences with gratitude and pride in the sheer number of new and often unseen voices we have brought to the membership of DC EcoWomen, from the District’s first Latina National Park Service park ranger, to the fearless and unsinkable leader of Green 2.0., to no nonsense women reporting on the environment, and women creating sustainable modalities in womenswear, and I can say that it has all been a great time.
As the 2017 Board Year ends, and we begin our programming for the new fiscal and Board Year, I am thrilled to announce that we are taking another leap to better serve our members.
Generally, we are led by a chapter president, who takes on the ministerial and administrative duties of running this nonprofit powerhouse for women, by women. And this year will be no different except, that it will be run by not one but two women; myself and the indomitable April Martin. To level up the offerings, engagement, and support the growing membership of this chapter of EcoWomen, we’ve decided that we need to shift the leadership model, as and such we will be your joint co-chairs through 2019. We made this change to address the fact that as the chapter grows, the mantle and responsibility grows and serving our members and our mission means increasing the hands on deck to do the work. We believe that capacity increases when power is shared and we are shifting our structure to support that evolution.
April brings a wealth of knowledge to the position. She started on the professional development committee before moving on to lead the membership and outreach committee for two years in addition to her regional directorship of the REAL School Gardens. She will focus on supporting the infrastructure growth that will increase the capacity of our chapter.
I will shift my attention from an exclusive focus on career and consciousness raising through programming to overall oversight of our board and the further embedding of equity, inclusion and leadership in all shapes and sizes to our overall direction in addition to my role as the executive director of the Maryland Environmental Health Network.
As long-time members and supporters of this chapter of the national organization EcoWomen, I expect that April and I will make change that support and evolves our mission to broaden our service to all the women who make up our community, while continuing to be the hub for vanguard leadership and programming. Watch this space as we tinker with the definition of membership, develop affinity groups to reach the seasoned members of our community and make the most of the forty events the DC chapter puts on each year.
In these fraught times for women and the environment we have seen that our community isn’t just a place to network but a landing spot for cultivation of equity, curiosity and a catalyst for women making their place in the sector. We hope that each of you who count yourselves as members will stick with us as we flesh out our capacity to serve as a force for good in the Nation’s Capital.
We are terribly proud of the new and returning members of the board and hope that you will take this opportunity to get to know the women leading your chapter of DC EcoWomen.
In sisterhood,
Tamara