Memoirs of a CEO

Blank paper with pen and coffee cup on wood table

Introducing

Memoirs of a CEO:

The Life & Service of a Nonprofit Leader

An uncensored look at me, AnnMarie McDowell, my life and service as a nonprofit CEO. This memoir is a compilation of my personal struggles and triumphs navigating life as a single mom of four and leader of a $40 million nonprofit organization in Philadelphia.

This memoir will not only expose our experience through the last several years but will also allow for dialogue from others - from you, experiences from my team, and how all of this leads to the future of CORA as we discern not what is in place for children and families, but rather what NEEDS to exist that does not already. We are calling this our "Roadmap to Transformative Services."

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Welcome

AnnMarie McDowell

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Introduction

IN MORE RECENT DAYS, on the other side of working through several years of crisis with an intense adrenaline push driving me to not stop day after day for the sake of my staff and the children and families we serve - for a time, not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel - I have had time to reflect on what has taken place over the past several years - what just happened, what did it take to lead through a crisis, how these years have changed us as people, as families, as a city, as a nation. I’ve thought about what makes a good leader no matter what the circumstances are surrounding the leader and I’ve considered, as I always consider, my own ability to lead an incredible nonprofit organization, touching the lives of over 20,000 children and families in the city of Philadelphia, across 250 schools, and in 39 of the 48 zip codes, in the new world we are facing.

LEADERS SHOULD CONTINUOUSLY consider their motives for why they are doing what they are doing. They should be thinking long-term for the benefit of others and not short term for the benefit of themselves. I consider myself lucky, blessed even, to be the head of a nonprofit organization, not founded by me, but recognized for high quality services in each of the direct areas we support. It's an honor and a privilege to be in this role in front of incredibly talented staff who make me and this organization look amazing every day. We aren’t doing anything extraordinary but we change lives. Each staff member is focused on someone other than themselves and they come to work each day ready to look a child or young person in the eyes so that he/she/they know they are cared about, regardless of what they bring to the table.

IN AN EFFORT TO CREATE TRANSPARENCY, to show my heart and mind as a leader of an incredible organization with incredibly competent and dedicated employees, I am beginning a series of videos, streams of thoughts leading to questions for others to respond to in a blog. Let’s create a space together where we learn and grow from one another, using the technology we have to draw in creative minds.

My goal is to bring minds together, to challenge me and us to think out of the box. But also, in the next ten months I will be leading us down a path that doesn’t only allow humble deep dialogue about what we are facing in our schools and communities, but it will also guide the reader and the writer to some innovative work that we must all embrace.

As I evaluate my ability to be the right leader for an organization I am called to nurture and the many lives and systems that rely on the work we do, I consider my own energy, motives, zeal, passion, creativity, innovation, and focus on mission to decide if I should remain or step down, allowing the next leader to enter my position. I must be this leader if I truly care about the main purpose of my personal existence.

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