Transition / Transición

Transition / Transición
[1 of 2 posts related to this personal journey]

Life happens. And that is a good thing.

As of July 20, 2009 I'll be the Director of the Silver Spring (MD) Regional Center. And - not but - I'll still be Reemberto Rodriguez :-)

NeighborWorks America is the 'N' in my DNA. The values I've learned from our Network and our partners will be forever with me. Key among these: partnership and collaboration; inclusion and diversity.

For over 20 years I've had the incredible good fortune of being part of this amazing 'experiment' that is NeighborWorks. From the day I became the City representative on the board of the Atlanta NHS (circa 1988) to recent involvement with innovative approaches to 21 century community organizing, NeighborWorks has been my personal passion as well as my professional pursuit. This journey has taken me through the world of 'field service officers'; 'program review officers'; 'organizational assessment specialists'; and, 'training managers'. Working with peers here at NeighborWorks and that wonderful motley crew of consultants, faculty, trainers, and facilitators, I've engaged with over100 communities throughout the USA and Puerto Rico.

From the church basements in Savannah, GA to the one-room city halls of rural Mississippi; from the reconstruction efforts after Andrew to the continuing efforts after Katrina; from the hallways of the NTIs to the experience of the CLIs, I've learned so much from others along the way... But, I've learned most from the residents and partners of the communities we serve. It is in their dreams that I found my calling. It is in their commitment that I got my strength. It is their determination to make their communities a better place to live that planted the bug in me to return to my roots and be part of local efforts to improve my own community.

OK, I'll admit it: I've fallen in love with my neighborhood, Silver Spring, Maryland. I've fallen in love with my neighborhood so much so that when asked to pursue this opportunity, I had no choice but to say a resounding 'Yes I will'. I can't deny that I've been infected by the 'bug' to 'give back locally' - I think I may have even drank the kool aid :-)

Being nominated by the Montgomery County Executive and approved by the County Council to take on this new position is truly an honor - and an awesome responsibility... Foolish, maybe. Risky, definitively. Fun, absolutely! "La vida es un carnival", says the song by Celia Cruz... And so it is: "Life is a carnival."

Someone once said "relationships are the essence of life... After all is said and done, it is relationships that nourish the soul." [Actually, I just made that up. But surely someone else must have said it before :-) ] My relationships within and beyond NeighborWorks I will always cherish and treasure... And like any good treasure, these relationships will continue giving fruit for a long, long time, regardless where life takes us.

If you are one of my peers, consultant, or practitioner that just started here at NeighborWorks recently, beware - this place is contagious and grows on you! (Working with good people will do that to you.)... And to you: Thanks for helping me grow by helping me see 'what is possible'.

If you are one of my peers, consultant, or practitioner that's been here a while, beware - there is no remedy once NeighborWorks gets embedded in you! (Working with good people will do that to you, too.)... And to you: Thanks for the stories and wisdom you've shared that helped me 'catch the spirit' of NeighborWorks.

Finally, deep down inside I know that in so many ways, I am not really leaving NeighborWorks; I am taking "neigborworks" with me!

'Till our paths cross again, and may it be soon,

Reemberto
p.s.: In the meantime, see you in Facebook - or better yet, see you at: www.leadersforcommunities.org