By now most of you know the wonderful news that Casey, our wonderful and very competent Director of Administration, is pregnant and will give birth in the spring. She has elected to take an 18 month leave and we wish her the very best.
So what are the implications of Casey’s leave for VanU?
Given financial limitations, it is not in our interest to hire a short-term replacement. We also recognize that Casey’s position involves a steep learning curve, not easily accomplished as a short-term position. For these reasons, it has been decided to offer Derrick, our current Membership Outreach Coordinator, the position of Acting Director of Administration (DA) from March 3, 2025 until August 31, 2026.
This role is proposed as 80% of the tasks of the Director of Administration and 20% of the role of Derrick’s current position. Generally speaking, Derrick will do many, but not all, of the tasks of the DA, and only the tasks associated with Breeze, the website, and social media related to his current position. All other tasks of his current position will be accomplished by other staff, member volunteers or not be done. Derrick will begin shadowing Casey on Feb. 3.
How will these changes be most obvious to you, members of VanU?
-Probably first on the list is that Derrick will no longer be here on Sundays. His help with setting up, problem shooting and tech support will not happen. Instead we need member volunteers to take up these jobs. We are currently discussing how to provide tech support. It’s important to note that tech support on Sundays (apart from the service) or at other times is not part of Christian’s job. So if you are a person who has learned to, for example, set up and operate the OWL technology, can troubleshoot with microphones and help with power point presentations, please consider volunteering some time to help.
-Another thing you will note is that there will not be a monthly newsletter during this time period.
In addition to help with tech support, there will be other opportunities to volunteer. Please email me if you are willing to explore what you might do. Several members have already stepped up and I thank them.
I want to especially thank the Transition Task Force for working through the details of this arrangement: Karen Bartlett, Catherine Ponsford, Ceceilia Gruber and Michael O’Neill. The Task Force is continuing to work on all aspects of the transition. Shawn has reminded us that it will be a work in progress and there will be regular discussions about how things are going. The Coordinating Council will also be part of the continuing support.
Lastly, I want to express our appreciation to Derrick for his ongoing work for VanU and his willingness to step into this new role. We all look forward to working with him and supporting him in a variety of ways.
Cheryl Amundsen, President VanU Board
Email: amundsencheryl[at]gmail[dot]com