2018
When our long-time Executive Director Justin Pegnataro decided to shift careers in 2018, the Board hired Maggie Gotterer as our new Executive Director to focus on: 1) financial stability and equitable pay, 2) a sustainable commitment to social justice, and 3) expanding & diversifying our community.
2019
Indigenous leaders within the Nature Connection Network called for nature mentoring communities to address cultural appropriation and to support decolonization. In response, Maggie and the Board co-created TCWS’s first Equity Committee.
2020-2021
COVID-19 pandemic shut down in-person programs for a season, but we were able to keep our staff on payroll with support from our family community and federal funding. Our TCWS Equity Committee put out a statement on the murder of George Floyd (#InDefenseOfBlackLives) and the team began Embodied Whiteness trainings with Chas Rodriguez.
We checked in with our team and created our statement on where we were at as an organization and as a community in 2021 and released this statement: One Year Later.
2022-2023
In order to further integrate our justice work within the organization, we formed our Core Partnership Team (made up of our Executive Director, Board members, senior staff, and other members of our community) and began partnership with Co-Creating Effective and Inclusive Organizations (CEIO).
We also established our Conifer Council, a shared leadership cohort made up of field and admin staff leaders that meets regularly with the Executive Director to discuss emergent and ongoing program needs. Council members establish and co-create meeting norms, communication practices, and decision-making protocols, and otherwise operate within existing organizational policies. During Council meetings, members raise key issues for discussion, prioritize and delegate action steps, and either make decisions or refer recommendations to the appropriate entity within the organization. Areas of focus may include:
– Implementation of organizational policies within programs
– Staffing needs
– Student needs
– Program quality
– Relationship with land and landowner
– Access to adequate onsite facilities (water, bathrooms, storage, utilities)
– Planning & coordination for upcoming program seasons
– Coordinating community events and parent communications
2024-2025
As part of our work with CEIO, we established working groups focused on Professional Development, Connection to Families, Relationship to Land, and Pay Equity. Additionally, for the first time, we expanded our admin team to include fundraising in order to develop revenue streams beyond tuition that would support our continued learning and evolution as an organization.
We celebrated our 25th anniversary this year! Read more about Our Vision for the Future.
Please contact our Executive Director, Maggie Gotterer, at Maggie@TwoCoyotes.org with your feedback, questions, or concerns at any time.