Tell us about the decision to move to a Co-Director model now?
Priya: OSSS embraces shared leadership and a collective impact model of creating change, so it makes sense that we do so as Co-Directors too. Plus, Page has been involved in OSSS for a long time. She helped write the first OSSS grant! With funding from the Packard Foundation sunsetting and with major shifts in the funding landscape through the Oakland Children’s Initiative and Measure C, it’s a crucial time to do the kind of big picture thinking that thrives on collaboration - something we felt a Co-Director model could nurture. What do each of you appreciate about working together?
Priya: Page and I first worked together at the City of Oakland when we were both planners, almost two decades ago. My experience of Page is that she has a deep commitment and demonstrated experience with service to the community, professionally and personally.
Page: Priya has enabled OSSS to be a highly functional collaborative, and that’s a really difficult thing to do, especially when you have some of the unique challenges that we have in Oakland. That makes me really excited about the work. There’s an ease around working together that is particularly helpful. This is really hard work and when you can find people who make it fun, it’s really important. Priya: Our work together is meaningful. We can have a sense of humor and be real, and we get stuff done. Do you know yet how your work will be divided?
Priya: We’ve been working together for a long time, and at the same time we want to be really intentional in how we determine the structure for our co-directorship. We’re working with organizational consultants Renato Alamanzor and Asha Mehta to create a framework that is adaptive. We are working with them on questions like, What does it mean to share power? What tools and practices can we put in place now, and how can we assess and adjust in the future? You became Co-Directors at a pivotal moment in Oakland and in the federal landscape. How does that affect how you’re thinking about your work going forward?
Page: I think with everything going on in the world today that we need this collaborative in Oakland more than ever. We’re going to be going through tumultuous times in the political landscape both in Oakland and nationally. And on top of that, you have the new funds coming in through Measure C and the Oakland Children’s Initiative. It’s going to be a lot to work through together as a collaborative.
I think people come to the OSSS meetings because they find solace there. It’s a joyful space. We learn from each other and listen to each other. This space gives providers and other leaders the bolstering they need to go do the work every day, out in the community. We really are going to need this more than ever. Priya: the momentum that we’ve built is pretty significant. We spent the past 10 years building relationships and having hard conversations and being ready to act when times are tough, especially when times are tough. Putting in the work to value and preserve relationships, while prioritizing collaboration, sets us up to tackle the challenges ahead. As Co-Directors, our shared leadership and commitment to working together will be key in navigating what comes next. Comments are closed.
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