With the TODOS election season underway, I find myself reflecting on the fact that I am an emotional person.  Emoting is a human endeavor that reminds us of our values. It is not a liability; I embrace that part of myself, choosing to use it to my advantage in numerous ways. Lately, I have leaned into it in leadership. Leading from and through the heart is what sustains me. I do not know another way to do it. One of the first things we did as a board was to have several discussions about our shared values. Our working document includes terms like:

• Personal and collective growth, reflection, recursiveness
• Perseverance, courage, deviance, audacity
• Well-being
• Liberation, justice, beautiful mathematics
• Ethical and responsible leadership, connection, belonging

As I begin my fourth consecutive year on the board, I recall that the candidate statement I wrote for the director position included all the things I thought others would think qualified me. Two years later, my president-elect statement looked very different. An excerpt:

“For me, leadership is not about avoiding mistakes, 

but identifying them quickly, then learning from them.

Further, it is an act of love and faith: love that requires 

honesty, hard conversations and tough decisions, and 

faith that things work out as they should. True leadership

requires commitment and accountability; I embrace both.”

I would like you to think for a moment about the role of the president. At five months in, I can say that it is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had, up there with classroom teaching. It is not without challenges, of course. For me, it is a chance to make a lasting contribution that can impact many people in the future. When my term is over, I hope to have nurtured the next phase of TODOS leaders, leaving them with a clear roadmap we began that can be altered as they seek their own way. 

Nominees for president elect do need to have served on the TODOS board previously. Other than that, you don’t need any particular resume. However, being organized, a good communicator, having flexibility and modeling thinking out of the box are all great skills to have. Remember, you are not doing anything alone - you have a fantastic board to support you. 

If you would like to discuss the president elect and president positions, I would be happy to have a conversation. Send an email to [email protected] with your request in the subject line, and I will do my best to make that happen.