Origins of Irene at North Light 

• Describe Little Irene and the lessons your parents gave you that helped you with the level of care and understanding you have had for the families you serviced at North Light.

My parents taught me not to judge others by preconceived notions, but to meet each individual as they came to you, and to remember that you don’t really know how anyone feels until you’ve walked in their moccasins. My father also let me know that the world is only as fair a place as you make it.

How did you get involved with North Light? In addition, what were some of the reasons you wanted to stay? I was junior day camp counselor as a teen in 1976, returned as intern in 1979 during my sr yr of college followed by a summer stint working for another non-profit that had me supervising some teens at NL and then started as an assn’t prog dir at NL that fall.  In March of 1980, I Was offered prog dir position and I stayed in that position until 1983 when I almost left for a better paying position with less responsibility. After giving notice, I was offered the position of Assn’t ED, and I made the decision to stay because I realized that I had more autonomy at NL and could potentially use that freedom to have a bigger impact on those NL served.

While working here, whom did you find to be a mentor or asset toward your professional development? John Willard, NL’s previous ED was definitely my main mentor, nut NL brought me in contact with so many amazing folks from whom I learned so many valuable lessons.  In fact it’s difficult to name them individually, but I learned from Board members, fellow staff members, professional colleagues, community members, and also from constituents that NL served, including children.

• Are there any stories or fond memories of Anne Wright and John Willard that you would like to share to carry on their legacy? So many. I was privileged to meet NL’s founder, Ann Wright in 1985, when she was in her 80’s.  She told me the story of NL’s beginning.  It turns out that she was a somewhat reluctant founder, but she saw a need, took one step at a time, and soon it took on, and I quote, “A LIFE OF ITS OWN”.Since I worked side-by-side with John Willard for 5 yrs., there are so many memories.  John had such an amazing capacity of love for his fellow human beings, that it was almost contagious.  He often stated that there is no such thing as a bad kid.  He also had a dry sense of humor, so there are many funny stories as well. He was a skilled community organizer who could rile folks around a cause and strongly believed that social justice issues were a major part of his duties at NL. Sometimes he would get folks active by telling them just what they didn’t want to hear. He actually goaded me into accepting the role of acting ED when I was hesitant to accept that responsibility by telling me that “a woman could never do the job”.  He knew then that he had me hook, line and sinker.
• How were you able to manage many personalities that have entered north light over the years? I think by enjoying them. I enjoy people.  I find them and their diversity fascinating and enriching.  In fact, to quote John Willard and give you more of an idea of his sense of humor, he used to say “NL was like a granola bar…fruits, nuts and flakes, but put them all together and they taste good and are good for you”. This still makes me laugh, but there is a great deal of truth to it as well.

Challenging Times 

• What are some of the Learning curves you hit in your early Career? What lessons did you take from those moments? Everything was a learning curve. As I moved into the ED position in the mid-80’s, there were lots of changes so even though NL already had a nearly 50 yr old infrastructure, there was no clearly established road map for me to follow. I had some basic knowledge from my college days and accessed Continuing Education opportunities as available, however, the biggest asset for me was that NL had a wealth of social capital…smart and skilled folks who cared about its work and served as invaluable and willing resources who I reached out to o a regular basis. Social capital is key to a small independent organization like NL.
• What were some challenges that crippled North Light and how did you overcome them?  For many years, the large majority of NL’s funding came from United Way membership. Since UW disbanded membership and took a different approach to funding, finding charitable resources to support NL’s work in the community has been an ongoing challenge.  As an autonomous organization with limited capacity for earned revenue, there is no established funding model to plug into. To date, NL’s been successful in diversifying NL’s funding base, but sustainable funding for the future remains a challenge.
• Looking back, was there ever any errors made that you wish could have been rectified that error? Absolutely…probably too numerous to count. It’s not possible to have successes without taking risks and making errors.  The important thing is to learn from your errors and not repeat the same mistakes. One important lesson I’ve learned and try to live by is to never react in a conclusive way while you are upset. Give yourself some time to digest a situation and percolate your thoughts.  I suspect this approach has saved me from many regrets.
• Was there a time you thought of quitting? Why? Sure.I’ve encountered many difficult challenges over my 40 yrs at NL, some seemingly insurmountable, but I also learned that tough situations don’t last, but tough people do.
• How was it managing a career in nonprofit and raising a family? A constant juggle and sometimes I felt that I wasn’t doing well enough at either responsibility, but at the same time, I feel privileged to have an opportunity to live in both of those roles. I loved experiencing a marriage and raising children and I also loved the opportunity to have professional goals and successes.

Krista’s Introduction 

• Irene, what traditions of yours or former Directors that you would like to see carried on?
• When identifying a successor, what attributes did, you, and the board look for. 
• What helped yourself and the board arrive to the conclusion that Krista would be the best predecessor 
• Krista can you tell us what made you decide to work at North Light
• Krista tell us a little about yourself and how you came to North Light 
• Now that you are here, what values and care do you hope to bring to North Light? 

Back in my Day:

When did you realize you wanted to work in Nonprofit and what difference did in make on your life?

Conclusion:There are no goodbyes for us. Wherever you are, you will always be in my heart. – Mahatma Gandhi. You have been a part of North Light for over 4 decades. This is not a goodbye when your legacy will forever be in the walls, the hearts, and the fine print of North Light. Irene you will be missed but never forgotten. 

Salutations: Thank you MNYK studios for allowing us to use this space. In addition, thank you for listening. Please share and repost this podcast. In addition, have a blessed week. Thank you Irene, Krista, Jesse, Bernetta, and thank me. Because I am that awesome.