Celebrating 19 Years at Arts for Learning, a Note from our CEO

By JoEllen Florio Rossebo, President & CEO of Arts for Learning

I just received a bunch of congratulatory Linked In messages about my 19^th anniversary at Arts for Learning. I was happy to receive so many messages but it reminded me of an article I came across recently about not for profit leaders overstaying their positions of leadership to the detriment of the organization. How can someone who has worked for the same organization for 19 years avoid stagnation and  antiquated policy? This question lingers with me.

I just had a long conversation with one of our staff about asking the difficult questions about our present and future impact on the community, specifically the children we serve. We had lots of thoughts and ideas about our place in the community, thoughtful collaborations and greater populations to serve.

Not all the ideas will work. I am buoyed, however, by the fact that this kind of discussion does make things work better. When we can step outside from our day to day activities, be open to others or observe with a different lens, we are most likely to stay relevant. That is how I will end my work week in this 19^th year at Arts for Learning.