Board retreat emphasizes we're in 4 all students

The Board of Directors gives a hint about the new name of the organization being announced in October.

On July 19, our Board of Directors met at Lewis and Clark College for the first board retreat in the history of the organization. What transpired was nothing short of inspirational.

Our board is comprised of educators across all levels of our school system and business leaders from across many sectors. We all bring a unique perspective to the conversation about our mission in delivering a future of limitless possibilities to our students who are not currently represented in the successes of our systems.

With these students in mind, board members embarked on a series of activities to better understand the students we serve, then each other as educators and business professionals. The day included such topics as taking a strengths-based approach to our work, examining the board member experience, collaborating on strategic initiatives, and learning how to communicate what the organization does in the community.

The day also created an opportunity for personal connections within our board – from a cardio-based paper airplane competition that involved repeated stairclimbing or simply sharing food and beverage during the breaks. The relationships that were fostered at this retreat will undoubtedly contribute to the realization of the mission and help make this a fulfilling and fun experience for each of our valued board members.

This meeting was a huge milestone as we shape the direction of the organization to ensure every student – especially those who have historically been underserved – has the opportunity to discover what is possible in their lives. We adopted the theme “In4All” for the day to remind ourselves of our focus on creating equity in education for all Oregon students.

A huge thank you to Vernier Software & Technology for making this retreat possible and to Lewis and Clark College for hosting us on their beautiful campus.

Grant Kimball is the 2018 In4All Board of Directors Chair