Why this work matters

A few years ago, I read Robert D. Putnam‘s Bowling Alone, and it reshaped how I think about my life and my work.

Putnam’s thesis is that our declining participation in bowling leagues, neighborhood associations, civic clubs, volunteer organizations, local newspapers, and other community institutions has led to more than the loss of shared hobbies. We’ve lost places where people built trust, solved problems together, and connected to something larger than themselves.

Bowling Alone gave me language for something I’d been experiencing my whole life.

I grew up as a Camp Fire kid. It wasn’t just selling candy outside the grocery store. It was where I learned many skills for adulthood. It also made me very aware that communities don’t happen by accident. People build them through service, shared experiences, and showing up for one another.

Those lessons stayed with me. In college, knitting was a pathway to create community. The groups I’ve helped organize became places where people learned new skills, found friendship, shared hard days, and discovered they belonged.

Those experiences shaped what I value professionally, too.

Throughout my career, my favorite work has been for mission-led organizations. Whether advancing scientific discovery, supporting public education, or helping people connect, I’ve found the most meaningful work isn’t just explaining what an organization does. It’s helping people understand why it matters.

I’m proud of the work I’ve done to improve groundwater (h/t to the Groundwater Approach from The Racial Equity Institute).

That’s why I prioritize work in civic engagement, public service, education, housing, clean energy, science, or philanthropy.

If you know an organization doing that kind of work, I’d love to connect.