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Dear S2 Community,
What type of ancestor do I want to be? Was one of the first questions asked to me at an S2 community gathering.
When I ask myself What type of ancestor do I want to be? I am pausing to hold the present – its wisdom, knowledge, and experience that is held in generations of people and place.
I am both honored, excited, and incredibly humbled to be leading S2 at this moment as a settler guest of these Lands. I want to take a few moments to tell you a bit about how I got to S2, who I am, and what you can expect from me.
As a community gardener and environmental justice organizer, S2 and Interweave were a consistent resource I could call upon for thought-partnership, community building and access to funding opportunities for my community. I came to S2 as someone who holds a complexity of identities: an organizer, a scientist committed to "citizen science", an urban gardener committed to Black and Indigenous farming, a descendant of migrant farmworkers, and someone always learning how best to acknowledge and stay accountable to the past and present first peoples of Coast Salish lands – the Duwamish, Suquamish, Stillaguamish, Muckleshoot, Tulalip and many more. I am someone who reconnects with the land by tending my corn and braiding sweetgrass and now finds a bit of joy in tinkering in spreadsheets. Finally, as a scientist working outside of academia, I am learning to find my own words – shaped by the dozens of mentors and friends I cannot thank enough.
Although my title has only slightly changed from Co-Director to Co-Executive Director, Operations, my responsibilities are currently quite different as I collaborate with the Board of Directors to set direction for the coming years. As we finish out 2023 (which coincides with our fiscal year) and move into 2024, here are my aspirational goals:
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Working with our Board of Directors to set strategy and resource staff to support our organizational structure and culture that aligns with our external mission
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Continue to develop consistent support for S2 and our Interweave Partners, including implementing a successful end of year fundraiser, while also identifying key investment from foundations, government and corporate funders to help S2’s annual budget grow from $300k to $500k! You can make a donation here.
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Maintain ongoing programs and operations focused on community-led and embedded sustainability initiatives such as Circular Economics, Soil Health and Justice, and Food Access - see our Interweave page to learn more
As I work through the day-to-day tasks of transformational change, I strive to do so in a way that aligns with my values, which are shared with the S2 community – forming good, reciprocal relationships; working to uplift community-based solutions such as environmental justice; engaging in work that is necessary and relevant; and operating with transparency and authenticity. Moving forward, I am excited to work collaboratively to help S2 and partners gain traction on shared priorities, create opportunities for full-time benefited work for staff and Interweave partners, while remaining rooted in our foundational community-based indicator work to take action.
I want to both thank you and the important colleagues who have gotten S2 to this place. Em Piro, Nat Hauser, Edwin Hernandez, Jasleena Grewal, and Dr. Melanie Malone. I and S2 are better suited to embark upon the next phase of Sustainable Seattle because of their foundational and pivotal work, and they will always be a part of our story.
With gratitude and hope,
Dr. Natalie K Garcia (they/she/Dr.), Co-Executive Director, Sustainable Seattle
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