My Statement of Support of Wendy Pastrick for the PASS Board
As part of the PASS Board election process community members can provide statements of support that are included in a candidate's application. I was pleased to provide such a statement on behalf of Wendy Pastrick.
In keeping with the election process these statements are published for all candidates with the submitters' names removed. I am taking the additional step of publishing my statement here.
I encourage you to learn about all the candidates campaign platforms on the PASS Elections site and to vote. The voting period is Oct. 5-11.
Statement of Support, Aug. 29, 2016
I have worked with Wendy as a PASS volunteer in various capacities for at least 10 years. Throughout that time I have seen her dedication and support of PASS up close.
I have served on the board with Wendy since she joined. Being on the board means serving PASS members in a way that is different from every other volunteer position, and Wendy’s tenure has overlapped with a time of big opportunity and big change for the organization. I have seen Wendy embrace these opportunities and think through what this new era in PASS can mean for our members. Wendy always keeps the interest of our members top-of-mind. She is a voice in the board room that advocates for our volunteer members and reminds us all to think about whatever we are discussing from their point-of-view. This is an important contribution to board discussions and I value her presence there.
Directors are charged with setting strategy for their portfolios and in figuring out how PASS overall strategy applies to their areas. Wendy has done that with both Chapters and Virtual Chapters.
Another expectation of Board members is that they execute on initiatives, and Wendy does that. She does not shrink from difficult conversations and has demonstrated an ability to lead change. One example of this was the implementation of a new Chapter agreement. The agreement needed to be revamped to meet the needs of the organization and chapters. Another example was advocating for a change in the budget process that would allow Chapter and VC registration codes to be made available earlier in the year. Wendy also initiated the drafting of the new volunteer policy and drove that important discussion in the board and with the membership. Changes like this are not always high profile or flashy, but they are important to our organization and our members.
Finally, Wendy demonstrated leadership and personal courage by publicly sharing her experience with harassment. Her willingness to speak up helped our membership have a more open conversation about this important issue. And Wendy’s perspective helped the Board think through the changes to the Anti-Harassment policy that were implemented this year.
I look forward to Wendy’s future contributions as a board member and I am pleased to offer this statement of support on her behalf.