Writing my next chapter…
This is tremendously bittersweet to write. It has been the honor of my life to found and lead www.BUILD.org over the last 19 years. BUILD works with students often left behind, teaching them how to start small businesses in high school to propel them to college and career success. Over the years, I have had the privilege and awesome responsibility of working with young people and seeing them blossom into extraordinary adults, often despite devastating obstacles and odds.
I made the decision last year that it was time for me and for BUILD to move on to our next chapters. It has been a nostalgic ride as I think about the entire original BUILD class, now thriving adults in their thirties, all fitting into one 14-passenger van I drove for fieldtrips. I founded BUILD before I had my own children and owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to our alumni for preparing me as I now send my eldest off to high school this Fall (a school that has BUILD as an elective!)
There is nothing very special about casting a vision for how the world can be different. What is special is finding vision keepers who seed, cultivate, improve and expand on the original vision. Almost a decade ago, I met Ayele Shakur as I was interviewing for our inaugural Executive Director in Boston. Ayele had an intimate understanding of our students, real world experience in the classroom, was a respected leader in her community and as a non-profit founder in her own right had a deep connection with what I wanted to do with BUILD. I remember sitting at the first Boston Gala in 2011 and watching Ayele inspire our students and guests. The National Board had flown to Boston to support her and I leaned over to the Board Chair and said “Someday I want this woman to lead BUILD!” At that time, Ayele was committed to creating a thriving and sustainable Greater Boston Region. Under her leadership, BUILD Boston has developed a strong and vibrant community of supporters with over 400 students served each year. Last week, the BUILD Board unanimously selected her as BUILD’s next CEO.
BUILD will always be a part of me. The interesting part of being a “Founder” is that it a permanent title — one that I will carry with me as a proud badge of honor for the impact we have made and lessons I have learned. To those of you who have supported, invested and worked with our students, I thank you. And to the BUILD Alumni, you have made me so deeply hopeful for how the future can be different from the past and present and I cannot wait to see you write your own next chapters.
