2020 has been a year of many changes and transitions, to understate it, but today I want to update you on some of the transitions going on within Welcome Table, St. James’ 501(c)3, which runs Neighbor 2 Neighbor and Freedom Schools – Austin. As you know, both of these programs have been continuing to serve our neighbors in the east Austin community and beyond in some familiar and some new ways.
Neighbor 2 Neighbor has shifted to maintaining relationships with neighbors by phone and has adopted a delivery-based model to get food and diapers to seniors in need. Freedom Schools has gone virtual this summer, supplying families with support during this confusing and stressful time. Those are big changes, but they aren’t the only transitions taking place.
In December 2019, Eric Kennedy, the current Executive Director of Welcome Table, notified the Executive Committee of the Board that he would be concluding his tenure as Executive Director at the end of summer 2020. Eric’s foresight set the stage for a good transition process.
Board President Angela Watkins formed a Transition Committee, which worked from February to June, to develop clarity around what kind of leadership Welcome Table would need in the next phase of its life as an organization. The result of this work was a decision to hire a .5FTE Executive Director, whose responsibilities would be focused in the area of funding and partnership development, empowering staff and volunteers, and maintaining missional and strategic alignment. You can view the detailed job description here.
Today, I would like to introduce to you the Welcome Table Executive Director Search Committee. Alondra G. Johnson, Attorney for A.G. Johnson Law Office, has agreed to serve as Chair of the search committee. Jorge Villafana is serving as the Project Manager for the search.
Other members of the search committee include:
Lizzie Cain-Clark, Grants Director for Welcome Table
Drew Green, Recent graduate of the UT McCombs School of Business
Liz Jones-Dilworth, Vice President of JDI
The Rev. Eileen O’Brien, Rector of St. James’ Episcopal Church
Lynn Osgood, Executive Director of Civic Arts
The Rev. Josh Thomas, Executive Director of Kids4Peace
Angela Hall Watkins, President of the Welcome Table Board and UT Executive Director of Provost Initiatives and Campus-Wide Priorities
This team brings a truly impressive set of skills and experience to the work of hiring the next Executive Director for Welcome Table. Additionally, it is a team with a deep understanding of Welcome Table’s mission, which flows from the desire of St. James’ Episcopal Church to set tables of welcome and nourishment for all people.
Over the next couple of months, I ask that you would pray for the Welcome Table Executive Director Search Committee, and for all of those who apply for the position. Spread the word about this position through your networks, because you just might know the right person for the job. There is so much good news to share from the work of Welcome Table in our community. We look forward to discerning who will guide us in the next phase of that journey.
