A message from the (soon to be former) executive director
Dear <<First Name>>,
December 31, 2021. That's what I said late last summer when I announced I would be leaving my role with Voices for Earth Justice.
That date came and I am still here three months later.
But it is with bittersweet feelings that I share with you that April 30 is my last day (for real) with VEJ. On May 1, I will start a new role with my alma mater, Rochester University (where I will also begin graduate studies in missional leadership this fall). I am a strong believer in Rochester's culture and mission, so I've been trying to get back there for a long time. After years of "asking, seeking, and knocking," the door finally opened and I'm going through.
So, what will happen with VEJ now that only its second executive director in 20 years in moving on?
We'll share more details about the transition process in the next few weeks. One of the things I'll share with you here is that the next iteration of VEJ will move us further away from a "founder model" to a "mission model." Founder model organizations function mostly as an extension of the personal efforts and energy of a founder. VEJ functioned this way for many years until our founder retired. My 4 1/2 years began a transition to a mission model, where effort arises from a board of directors and a core group of staff and volunteers working together in service to a mission that energizes and focuses the whole.
Over the last few months, VEJ's board started working on more than doubling its size by adding new members who are more representative of the communities VEJ exists to serve. This board that is coming together now will help VEJ discern and prepare for the future. That includes choosing the right person(s) to lead the organization.
That is another way of saying that, while VEJ does not have a new executive director waiting in the wings (as we all hoped we would a few months ago when I announced my plan to step down), we do have a board that is growing deeper in knowledge and insight and wider in diversity. We may be losing one old leader, but we are picking up several new ones.
In April, we will share more details about the changes coming to VEJ and how you can be part of us becoming a stronger and stronger mission organization.
The important thing to remember, however, is that this is not about an organization. It's not about any one person or group of people. It is about all of us, all things, the very health and life of Creation.
Leaders may change, but that purpose never changes.
And so...onward and upward we go...together.
Grace and peace,
BT Irwin, primus inter pares
Sunday Dinner: Room for everyone in Earth Justice?
Sunday, April 3, 6:30 p.m. (on Zoom)
In this, our last ZOOM Sunday Dinner until fall, we discuss this question: Is there anyone who is NOT welcome in the Earth justice movement? This open conversation and workshop-style Sunday Dinner will explore how people from different backgrounds and even different motivations can find ways to work together for Earth justice initiatives. How do we choose our allies and partners? How do we set healthy and safe boundaries? How do we decide where to compromise and where to stand firm?
