by Caroline T Robertson | Nov 7, 2020 | Executive Leadership
Hi dee hi Ridgers! Happy Fall! As the days become shorter and much of the news around us continues to be challenging to digest, I hope that you are your family are healthy and well. What has kept you going recently? Have you found a new hobby? Learned a new skill? Or... 
by Caroline T Robertson | Oct 8, 2020 | Executive Leadership
Hi dee hi Ridgers! I hope this issue of Behind the Scenes finds you healthy and well! It’s so hard to believe it is almost October. It was great to see many of you during this year’s virtual conference. While there are so many pieces of the Blue Ridge Institute... 
by Caroline T Robertson | Dec 23, 2019 | Executive Leadership
Hi dee hi Ridgers! If you are like me, you might be in a bit of shock that it really is mid-December and we really are at the end of a decade. The start of this decade was the start of my time at BRI! Do you know what that means? It means in 2020, 10 years after I... 
by Patrick Jinks | Jul 27, 2019 | Community, Leadership, Work/Life Balance
From the front porch…(while sitting on my back porch): Another BRI conference in the history books. Andrea did the job we all expected her to do. She did it with excellence, quality, imagination, perseverance, dedication, love, and commitment. The conference reflected... 
by Grace-Anne Alfiero | Apr 14, 2019 | Community, Executive Leadership, Governance, Leadership
Just like no one truly owns a beautiful forest and no one truly owns a coral reef, nonprofit organizations were not set up to be owned by any one individual. Sole ownership of a tax-exempt entity is counter-intuitive and the antithesis of the sectors’ original... 
by Sara Faircloth | Sep 30, 2018 | Community
First, I am asking for your understanding. As most readers of this post know, my life was turned upside down at the end of July. On May 17 I retired — a welcomed and joyous occasion. In mid-July, my plan to buy a house and retire to my favorite place in... 
by Grace-Anne Alfiero | Sep 13, 2018 | Business, Community, Executive Leadership, Leadership, Leadership Parallels With History
Reposted from Arts In Action Blog Post from 9/9/18: This week I was on a Skype call with a colleague who lives overseas and we were discussing the challenges of building an effective international work team. Knee-deep into our chat, I stated: “it’s almost... 
by Dave Parker | Aug 22, 2018 | Community, Leadership, Leadership Parallels With History, Uncategorized
When I started my work with nonprofit organizations over two decades ago, I was introduced to a phenomenon—Nannie Helen Burroughs. Born in 1879, the granddaughter of former slaves, Ms. Burroughs desired to be a school teacher; however, without a proper college degree... 
by Dave Parker | Jul 8, 2018 | Community, Leadership, Leadership Parallels With History
Prior to BRI week, listen to the tracks of Marvin Gaye’s album “What’s Going On.” Then read the lyrics. Apart from being great music, the themes are timeless and it seems as though Mr. Gaye is reaching across the years to speak to you as a social sector leader. From... 
by Grace-Anne Alfiero | Jun 3, 2018 | Community, Leadership, Leadership Parallels With History, Work/Life Balance
I am pretty certain that my lineage does not include links to royalty or political power. I do not believe any of my ancestors have run for, been born into or held any type of political office. We are the opposite of the Kennedys, the Bushes, the Carters, and the...
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