By Elizabeth McGuire
Leadership Austin is thrilled to introduce a new committee solely dedicated to connecting and supporting all the incredible alumni within our organization. The Alumni Committee, chaired by Julie Fisher and Aimee Finney, is making plans to engage alumni across business sectors and community interests, and to help them take full advantage of the powerful Leadership Austin network.
The BAE (Best Alumni Ever) will be represented by Fisher (Emerge 2014) who is a Senior Community Affairs Specialist at Samsung, and Finney (Essential 2013) who is a teacher of professional communications at Austin High School and a current Leadership Austin board member. Both women signed on for a 2-year commitment to fully develop the program.
“I feel so passionate about Leadership Austin,” Fisher said. “I love the people…everyone really has each other’s back. When you say Leadership Austin, the brand alone speaks so highly. So I’m happy to represent it and try to garner support, interest and reengagement.”
Finney is particularly excited about the 2-year term because it gives them time to see real changes. “What an honor to be asked to be on the forefront of this with Julie,” she said. “We are going to change the world! We are going to be able to create such community…it’s going to be amazing.”
Among their immediate plans, they are creating District Directors. Inspired by the citywide 10-1 redistricting, each alumni district will have a point person from Leadership Austin’s ranks. This gives alumni a familiar point of contact in a sea of names.
The committee will be planning monthly or quarterly events—some of which will be unique social gatherings, while others are connected to current Leadership Austin events. At this point, Finney said they have intentionally left many of the plans flexible until they solidify committee members and gather their input.
Above all, the Leadership Austin stakeholders understand the responsibility that the organization has to its members. As Carol Collins, Development and Marketing Director, explained, “When you talk about an alumni organization vs. a membership organization, you imply a deeper relationship. And we as an organization have to carry that responsibility. We have to offer more places for engagement.”
But…before the Alumni Committee can take off, they need to confirm some details about who you are and where your interests lie. If you haven’t completed the Alumni Survey, do it today! Leadership Austin will be using results to help make its programs beneficial for the 2,400 individuals who comprise the powerful Leadership Austin network.
The Alumni Committee will start to have regular meetings in June. If you would like to be involved, please contact Virginia Pearson at vpearson@leadershipaustin.org.