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The Ashera Project Board of Directors

The Ashera Project's Board of Directors is an all-volunteer, working board for a new and growing organization.

• Rachel Portnoy, Executive Co-Chair
• Emily Rogers, Administrative & Personnel Chair
• Lauren Cohen, Development Chair
• Kate Clark, Volunteer Coordinator

The Ashera Project Board is Seeking Board Members

We are currently seeking candidates for several key volunteer board positions, including a Legal Chair and a Marketing Chair.

What is it like to serve on a board?

Only two of the current board members had experience in such a role when they joined. There are great books and seminars on ways to give back to your community through volunteer leadership, and the best way to get your questions answered is to talk to current or former board members. On August 6th, 2006, Ashera Shares sat down with Jessica Mann, who served two years on the Board of Directors.

Ashera Shares: Why did you join Ashera's Board, and not someone else's?
Ms. Mann: That's a good question. The real answer is that it was the first place I came across that was looking for board members and was something I believed in. I felt that, with my skills and background, I could contribute.

Q: What did you initially think you would contribute?
A: Time, and money...and with my experience as a licensed social worker: looking out for our clients and considering our responsibilities to the clients. And non-profit management theory was part of my degree.

Q: Now in hindsight, what did you end up contributing?
A: All those things and a lot else! Finance, operational duties, staff supervision... [Laughs] I give my opinion on any question that is mentioned in my presence.

Q: What did you hope to get out of serving on the Ashera Board?
A: A professional experience to put on my resume...brain work to keep skills sharp since I was looking for a job. I wouldn't have been doing management work...but direct social work. This was specifically management experience.

Q: And what did you actually get out of your time on the Board?
A: I really, really, really got to use a lot of my academic training in non-profit management.

Q: What was your biggest challenge?
A: Respectfully and diplomatically disagreeing in a group. Trying not to plow over everyone... you can't just control everyone.

Q: What was your proudest moment?
A: [Thinks hard] When [the board] voted me to be executive co-chair in January [though this position was declined]. It was also nice to be the bearer of good financial news. As a finance person, it's not all that common.

Want to get involved?

Ideal board candidates have expertise in youth development, volunteer leadership, public relations, law, human resources, organizational development, fundraising, or financial management. We start our fourth year of programming at Reagan High School this fall, so there is a lot of exciting work to be done!

For more information, or to express interest in this opening, please contact Kate Clark at volunteer@asheraproject.org

We also welcome your tax-deductible contributions and encourage you to see what is coming up on our calendar. Learn more about Ashera Project on our About page, and see some of our answers to questions that we have been asked.

Austin Wants You!

Don't ever think you aren't needed...

• accounting
• grant writing
• graphic design
• journalism
• law
• public relations

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