4. Is there a history of community service in your family background? If so, how would you describe it?
No. My father was too involved in his business, and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. My parents ended up moving to California because I was there and my brother was in college at Stanford. There, my mother did get involved in the community. The first civic thing that I got involved in, before I had my son, was a home for unwed mothers in San Francisco. This was during the era when families sent their pregnant unmarried daughters away. We would take these girls out for a day in the sun and a swim in pools at private homes. I think they never had more than six or eight girls at a time. That was the first time I did fund raising for a non-profit.
5. What do you consider to be the major strengths and capabilities that have made you an effective community leader? Are they rooted in action, in your personal style, in your organizational, political, and personal relationships, or in something else?
I have became a good listener and have always had thoughts and opinions about things and good insights. I believe I was helpful when the Hospitality House homeless shelter was started here. I had learned much about fund raising, and I shared that with them. Another strength is that I like people, like developing personal relationships, and this is essential in working in nonprofit organizations. Sometimes people are just attracted by the purpose of a nonprofit, but there is also the need to build relationships with others if the organization is to be successful.
I generally manage to stay apolitical, and that is important to me. When I come across those who have a different perspective, I don’t try to dissuade them. Rather, I keep the focus on what we are both interested in. I have always felt that teamwork is really important. I came from a boarding school background where it was teamwork that got stuff done. I like being part of a team and have never shied away from being the team leader.
6. There are five key roles that civic leaders often play in their community. As you think about your own involvement in our community, which of these roles have you played and which do you consider to be your strongest?
Mentor: teaching and engaging others
I consider myself a low-key mentor. In helping and engaging others, I don’t think of myself as a teacher.
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