Outgoing President’s Message
Dear JLS Members,
It has been an honor and a privilege to spend the last three years in service to you as EVP and now concluding my time as President.
I joined the League in 2014 - a year after becoming a mom in a city I was new to. I wanted to make friends outside of my husband and his circle but I also wanted to be in service to the community with like-minded people. I found you.
These last 10 years in the League have been a microcosm of the change that JLS has seen over its first century. Our member numbers have fluctuated and our focus areas have changed but what has remained consistent is our deep commitment to each other and to the needs of the city of Seattle.
Like all organizations around the world, the pandemic took a lot of the wind from our sails. My goal this year for our Centennial was to provide the experiences and opportunities for you all to remember how great JLS is when we work together for a common goal, and to challenge you with charting our course for the next century.
We saw Sustainers - many of whom have not been Active in years - come together to mentor Actives and Provisionals and put on the biggest celebration in JLS' 100 years! We saw DIAD and Northwest Art experiment with new community programs. We saw Training work with other Leagues to provide trainings from across the country. We saw our fundraising teams try out different events to help keep the League sustainable for years to come. And finally we saw our work celebrated in two of the city's most respected museums - MOHAI and Cascadia.
I'm sending this note to you a few days early because I am riding off into the Parisian sunset thanks to the business opportunity of a lifetime, but my heart is full as I pass the baton to my friend, Avery Berschauer.
Avery and I joined the League the same year but somehow never worked together until we were on Management Council in 2021. She loves the League and is passionate about making it a more inclusive place for all members. You are in outstanding, capable hands.
The League has been a source of support and friendship for me these last 10 years. From the new mom years to navigating a cancer diagnosis (once again I am reminding you to schedule your mammograms, or ultrasounds if you are under 40 and feel something weird), you all have been there for me and I will continue to be there for you. Special shout outs: MC 21-22 and BOD 23-24, of which the venn diagram is a circle! To the Exec teams from 2021-2024 on which I learned literally everything and drew so much support! And of course to the Past EVPs and Past Presidents!
I'm headed to Nominating next year and would love to speak with anyone who is curious about leadership or what JLS has to offer. Keep in touch!
As the OGs may remember, I like to end my Very Long Emails™ with a quote from a 90s heartthrob. As I did with one of my first VLEs™ in 2021, here is Heath Ledger letting you know how I feel about you.
Love you all!
