On Beginning Again

If I ever write a book {oh how I hope I never-ever have to write a book}, I think it will have to be on transitioning. Because I am now officially the transition queen. With three major transitions in three years, I think this is a subject from which I can speak with absolute authority. But don’t let the fact that I transition a lot keep you from hearing the excitement when I tell you that I am unbelievably honored and privileged to be working with Feed the Children.

For those of you having a hard time keeping track, I left Thomas Nelson in the summer of 2011. Taking a giant leap, I up and moved to Southern California and joined Project 7 as their Director of Community. It was a wonderful season of exploration, learning and rest. But less than a year later, a you-can’t-pass-this-up opportunity at Food for the Hungry presented itself and I jumped for it, excited about the chance to learn more about development work and be back “home” in Nashville. And a couple of weeks ago, I left FH to join Feed the Children as the Director of Speakers, Conferences and Social Media Fundraising. {I know, it’s a heck of a title. I sure hope it’s going to fit on my business cards.}

Here are 4 reasons why I am excited about my new position and Feed the Children.

1. The opportunity to work for a boss and on a team I know and love. I am a loyalist. A strong 6 on the enneagram, I find people I respect and I stick with them like super glue. I have absolutely loved working with Ben Greene and Crystal Hutchinson and am so thrilled that I will get to continue working with them to combat poverty. Ben is the new VP of Sponsorship and Media at Feed the Children and Crystal is the new Director of the Artist Program.

2. The opportunity to connect two worlds that I love. Over the last several years I have found great friends and mentors in the Christian publishing and live event space. I go to a lot of conferences. I read a lot of books. I hang out with a lot of bloggers. And so one of my favorite things about my job is that I get to work in that space, with those people, and enlist them to be a part of the incredible work that Feed the Children is doing.

3. The opportunity to impact those in need not just across the world, but down the street. I have learned a lot of poverty and development work in Africa, in Asia and in Latin America. But truth be known, I have a lot to learn about poverty in Nashville, in Tennessee, and across the United States {someone cue Lee Greenwood please, “From the lakes of Minnesota to the hills of Tennessee…”}. I read the statistics. I know families that are struggling to make ends meet. I look forward to learning how I can love my domestic neighbors better.

4. And lastly, the opportunity to be a part of a “new day” at Feed the Children. Y’all Feed the Children is headed some place really cool and it is such a tremendous privilege to be a part of the organization. Kevin Hagan, our President and CEO just announced 4 new initiatives that are underway. The first is to revamp domestic programs to build self-sufficiency {he’s speaking my love language right here}. The second is to renew emphasis on child sponsorship. The third is to launch a new Feed the Children brand. And the fourth is to focus on customer service. Go read more about each of the initiatives here. Pretty cool stuff, huh?