Greetings Satterberg Foundation community,
Beginning October 1, 2021, CC Gardner Gleser, Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives, will be taking a much deserved sabbatical until January 1, 2022. At Satterberg we value and understand the importance of supporting folks with sabbaticals, healing spaces and extended breaks from their day to day work so they can prioritize personal health and healing. Our hope is that during this sabbatical CC will be able to rest, restore and reflect on her purpose so she can keep doing the very work that gives her so much life.
After a great deal of consideration, CC has also decided that after the sabbatical she will be stepping down as Director of Programs and Strategic Initiatives and will be leaving the Satterberg Foundation. CC’s last day will be January 1, 2022.
I will never be able to fully articulate the joy and experiences CC and I have shared the past five years and the partnership and trust we have built to lead the work of the Foundation. I’m mostly grateful for the beautiful friendship we have grown that will continue on beyond our working relationship. On behalf of the staff and board, I want to thank CC for her contributions and acknowledge the progress we have made as an organization during her five year tenure. CC’s creativity, passion and dedication to lifting up the full truth, through authentic relationships has not only inspired growth in our Satterberg work but also the entire philanthropic sector. Under CC’s leadership, we have become more intentional in our commitment to funding BIPOC led work and refined our grantmaking strategy and trust based approach that will guide our work for many years to come. Over the past 6 months CC has also built a solid program team that is stronger than ever with an amazing group of folks who will continue to carry our mission and program vision forward.
This is a major transition for our organization as CC is irreplaceable. I will be using the next three months to check-in with our board, staff and community stakeholders to determine long-term plans for this role.
In Partnership,
Sarah Walczyk
Hello All,
This is a difficult note to write, but I have decided to leave Satterberg Foundation at the end of this year to take time to rest, repair, and heal. As Sarah mentioned above, the rest will begin with a sabbatical on October 1, 2021.
It has been an extreme privilege and honor to partner with you all over the last five years and I look forward to remaining connected. This work has meant so much to me. I am grateful for the numerous relationships that I have built along the way. I am also extremely proud of what we have accomplished together over the past 5 years while being in partnership and community together. I know that Satterberg will continue to help transform the sector, while centering community, and empowering you all to make a difference for generations to come.
It has been a challenging last 18 months, and many of us are taking a moment to re-evaluate things. The exhaustion is real. On top of a raging pandemic, continued issues of structural racism, and, again, the philanthropic sector, its structures, and constant reminders that this space is not made with us in mind, particularly Black women and with all of that, I’m just tired. With tremendous personal loss and community loss, I find that I am beyond exhausted and burned out, so I am finding in this moment, like Naomi Osaka, choosing to opt out of interviews because it was not healthy for her and Simone Biles, deciding to pull out of several Olympic events because she was not quite feeling like herself, to step back and recharge. What these ladies did took more courage than just staying the course. Instead, they chose themselves and their well-being. That’s where I am. I know I need rest, restoration, and healing at this point, and I have to listen to that call. I must listen to my body.
While I am leaving Satterberg, I will always be around…I have learned so much from all of you and I will miss all our talks, our sharing of meals, and our texts. Please don’t be a stranger. We’re family now and I need to keep up with how you’re doing.
I wish you all the very best! And plan on hanging around…
In community, solidarity, and Joy!
-CC