Career Part 8
After our last sabbatical in 2017, I returned to the U.S. laser focused on committing to civic engagement and community involvement. There was plenty to be engaged about - from resisting Trump’s presidency, showing up for Black Lives Matter, addressing the climate crisis, and surviving a global pandemic.
When we returned in 2017 I got right to it and produced a series of advocacy videos for nonprofit organizations I cared about. With important midterms in 2018, I re-engaged with politics and volunteered my time canvassing and raising money for progressive candidates.
In 2019 I began a 3-year period where I was highly engaged and active with 350 Seattle and 350 WA. During this time I co-led the 350 WA Civic Action Team (CAT), a statewide campaign that organized members across the state to advocate for climate, racial and economic policy solutions. I also helped advocate for local clean energy policies focusing on decarbonization in buildings. I was very active with my kids school and I completed a one-year leadership training program, where the curriculum focused around racial equity and envisioning systemic changes. Between 2022-2025 I was the Development & Communications Director at Spark Northwest, an organization that builds renewable energy and efficiency projects with under-resourced communities in Washington and Oregon. During my time I helped tell their story, secured new funding and cultivated existing supporters. In April 2025 I left my position to focus on managing the big move to Switzerland with my family.
What a wild nine years it was! Doing all the work eased my anxiety about the state of the world, introduced me to many incredibly committed people and showed Claire and Camille what was important to me. It was a rich, meaningful, intense and intentional time of my life.