A Q&A with our Operations Manager
What does your role at OCO include?
I primarily manage business operations of accounting, payroll, insurance, donations, vendor relations, and human resources to support the team doing impactful work for the organization. I also assist the Executive Director and Board with administrative needs. I’m looking forward to supporting more in-person meetings and events, as we’re able to emerge from covid restrictions.
What brings you to this work? What values drive you?
I’m dedicated to working in the nonprofit sector and am drawn to any work and volunteer opportunities that will make my community a better place for children and families to live. Nurturing the next generation has always been at the core of decisions I’ve made throughout my life.
What’s a passion of yours you’ve yet to act on?
When I retire I’d love to live in a multi-generational community like Bridge Meadows, or volunteer as a court-appointed child advocate. I also plan to travel to some beautiful parts of the world I’ve never explored like New Zealand and the Galapagos Islands.
Standout books or podcasts that speak to you?
The Children on the Hill (Michael Deakin) shaped my perception of every child’s potential. Raising Strong Daughters (Jeanette Gadeberg) guided me with my own girls. Sold on a Monday (Kristine McMorris) reminds me why our work is so important. I gravitate to books, movies, and podcasts that feature powerful female voices/characters/roles, and follow them over time. A re-readable old favorite is The Dollmaker (Harriette Arnow), and more recently The Indigo Girl (Natasha Boyd) and Where the Crawdads Sing (Delia Owens).
What superpower did you want as a child? What superpower would you want now?
My older sister always knew what I was up to, so for many years as a child, I was certain she could read my mind! I wished I could know what she and others were thinking. Now I would simply like the power to see through the façade that people display or the walls they put up and know what’s really in their hearts.
