Kristen Corning Bedford, program partner

Kristen Corning Bedford, program partner

When Kristen Corning Bedford talks about investing, it’s not all dollars and cents. “Attention,” she quotes, “is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” The Simon Weil quip is a pertinent one. Kristen, philanthro•be retreat facilitator,  will return to the Institute from March 7—9 to guide a group of women on the path toward “informed, intentional and joyful” giving, and she’ll be talking about energy, passion, and talent as well as cash and volunteer hours.

“Philanthropy is a daily practice, encouraging us to appreciate others, use our whole selves to impact our communities, and clearly see the many ways in which we’re able to strengthen our generous hearts, beginning with ourselves,” Kristen writes on her philanthro•be retreat page. “We each carry a unique portfolio of currencies, including time, money, and skills.” As a mother of two, Kristen sees giving in the large context of how we nurture our families and our next generations as well as in the context of what organizations we support.

Marnie Jones, Communications Manager, spoke with Kristen about the upcoming retreat and the philanthro•be concept. “At the beginning of the weekend, we jump right into values or passions work,” Kristen explained. “What do you want to see a change in? Where do you feel you can make a difference?” The weekend isn’t about coming out with a heavy financial worksheet, she said, but about understanding how to be real with yourself, make values-informed choices, and map out a joyful mission for giving back to the world.

Kristen holds an MA from Antioch University in Whole Systems Design and a BA from Western Washington University in Film Studies and Production. She credits her education in the arts for enhancing her skills in creativity, strategic thinking, and collaboration. She advocates for arts in education, serving as board president of ArtsEd Washington. She’s also the co-founder of The Ruby Room in Seattle, WA, a Women Investing In Tacoma founding member, and former Vice President of Community Philanthropy at The Greater Tacoma Community Foundation, where she explored “non-profit sustainability, collaboration, and innovation while managing the grant making process and donor education initiatives.”

Kristen inspires and is inspired by the many people with whom she interacts each day. “I find myself daily being re-inspired,” she said. “I find myself constantly making connections back to gratitude, to how we act and how we treat people. Everyone you come across is a role model or a mentor in some capacity.” This power within each of us to be a teacher and a leader is part of what fuels her philanthro•be work.

Kristen’s choice of the Whidbey Institute as a venue for her work was instrumental in the retreat design. “At the core [of philanthro•be] is the mission of being in connection with yourself in order to better serve.” The environment, she said, is key: “There’s an underlying, sometimes missed component. It’s intuitive, and you have to step outside of manmade structures to really be able to quiet yourself.” Continuing, Kristen explains how her vision for the retreat first coalesced. “It went beyond just a philanthropy retreat. It was very much about women meeting in the woods to talk about what they’re passionate about, and nurturing their own generosity for themselves and for each other.”

To join Kristen at the Whidbey Institute, check out her upcoming March retreat! To learn more about her work, visit www.philanthrobe.com.

February 4, 2014

Meet Our Board: Spotlight on Sheryl

We warmly welcomed Sheryl Harmer to the Whidbey Institute board in the fall of 2013!

She comes to us with an Doctorate in Educational Leadership and a background in organization development. Her recent professional experience has been in helping not-for-profits, businesses, and public entities become stronger and more effective through her work as a principal at MacDonald Boyd and Associates. She also has a passion for social and emotional learning, and is a strategist working on awareness, policy, and practice in that field. She promotes every child’s right to a rich learning environment. “Good schools and good teachers and good principals have always understood how important it is to teach to the whole child, and to nurture the whole child,” she said. “The social and emotional skills as well as the academic skills [should be] a basic part of every child’s education.”

Sheryl first came into contact with the Whidbey Institute’s work through her husband Steve Boyd, who was on our board for several years. She said that the land, people, and programs here really resonated with her from the start, as she saw this place first through Steve’s eyes and then through the eyes of others whom she deeply respected. “Relationships are at the heart of what’s continued to draw me [to the Institute],” she said. “It has been a grounding force for a number of people I highly respect.”

When Sheryl’s board service began in November of 2013, she found herself forming new and deeper connections with her fellow board members. The November retreat was their first gathering as a group. Her impressions? “It was a really meaningful conversation with thoughtful, bright, dedicated, and committed people.” Sheryl was immediately struck by the resonance among the team, as well as the diversity of thought and the depth of passionate commitment present on the board.

When it comes to board business, Sheryl’s bringing her program development expertise to the table—helping to ensure that we’re delivering our mission through programming in such a way that our organizational values are honored, relationships are supported, and learning is encouraged. She’s also eager to help build connections to the Whidbey Institute among Seattle residents.

Sheryl’s home life, family, volunteerism, and professional life are deeply intertwined and mutually enriching. She’s a proud grandmother, avid gardener, and great nature lover. Her Greenlake home offers the right balance of urban life and natural beauty, and she enjoys working with her husband. “It’s always been very important to me to live and walk the talk—to be in integrity, and to know each other first as human beings. That’s an important piece that my husband and I live through MacDonald Boyd and Associates. We’re about human beings trying to work in concert with each other.”

January 28, 2014

Meet Our Team: Spotlight on Clayton, Facilities Manager

Clayton Carlson joined the Whidbey Institute team shortly after his wife Lynne (currently our Housekeeping Manager) came on board. Clayton grew up in Idaho and Oak Harbor, in turns, and now lives on a farm in Langley. In the four years since he joined our team, he’s learned as much from us as  we have from him!

As our Facilities Manager, Clayton has handled a variety of responsibilities large and small, cerebral and physical, grand and mundane. A vital part of our team, Clayton has brightened our days with his warm smile, can-do attitude, and occasional anecdotes about his blue and gold macaw. Meanwhile, he’s experienced great personal growth at the Institute, gaining new perspectives on sustainability and green solutions. “Looking back,” he said, “I can’t believe how much I’ve grown. . . . and I just love the land, and the space, and the people it attracts.”

Clayton will be leaving the Whidbey Institute at the end of January to manage a crew at a well-established nearby business. His construction and facilities maintenance skills will go with him, but a part of him will stay here. “I’ve never felt like an employee here,” he said. “I’ve felt like a student. This is a place to learn.” Clayton said he’ll be here all the time even after the transition, for the Institute now feels like home.

When Clayton’s not at work, he’s parenting his two boys, Cameron (9) and Braden (7), or tinkering under the hood of one of several old Volkswagens. He also plays the guitar, mixes dubstep music, and raises farm animals at the home he shares with Lynn and their sons. His advice to the reader? “Keep your eyes open for all the Volkswagen cruises!” If you do see one, look closely. You might just spot Clayton grinning from the driver’s seat of his old VW bug conversion rat rod.

January 21, 2014

Insights from Warrior Monk

On January 1st, 2014, I ushered in the New Year by participating in a Warrior Monk retreat with Dan McKee here at the Whidbey Institute.

Warrior Monk is an experiential and transformative retreat for those seeking wholeness of self, strength of purpose, spiritual connection, and the healing of self-limiting beliefs. I didn’t know quite what to expect when I signed up, but I came to discover that this ambiguity was actually an important part of the experience. Like many others, I find that it can be difficult for me to let go of control, trust the process, and release into the unknown. But that is exactly what I did, and the outcome was incredible!

For four days and four nights I experienced living with a deeper sense of intention, mindfulness, and peace. The more time I spent in sacred space – meditation, journaling, dancing – the more I cultivated that sense of sacredness within myself. It was this feeling that inspired the insight below, which I jotted down on the final day of the training:

The outer world is a direct reflection of our collective sense of self-worth. When we love ourselves courageously, we manifest the true beauty and potential of existence.

I finally ‘got’ the idea that I create my own reality. I give my life its meaning. By deciding how I respond to the world, I get to create who I am in each moment! It’s a powerful feeling. The troubling thing is that when I am not actively choosing who I am, I tend to fall back on stories and behaviors from my past. These old patterns and habits rarely serve me in my quest to be my greatest self. Rather, they often keep me feeling powerless and detached. It seems the antidote to this shadowy tendency is only found when I cultivate presence and sacredness in my daily life. Only then am I able to hold my shadows out in front of me and live my life with true clarity and purpose.

Perhaps the greatest work of my lifetime will be to love myself courageously. 

What if I offered myself the care, generosity, and compassion that I often so freely offer others? What if the more beautiful world that our hearts know is possible (as Charles Eisenstein would put it) is already here – alive in each of us? I am ready to co-create that world, starting from within myself. It’s time I let go of what I think I know and dive courageously into the beautiful mystery of the Universe.

Dan Mahle

January 13, 2014

Meet Our Team: Spotlight on Allison, Operations Manager

When Allison Tongate was asked to describe her role as Operations Manager at the Whidbey Institute, she responded quickly. “It’s team coordination,” she said. “Like being a weaver. I take the vibrant colors of all my coworkers and help move them together to form a beautiful tapestry.”

From our perspective, as her coworkers, we see Allison gracefully keeping ten balls in the air while simultaneously working alongside our Executive Director in the development arena. “I have a great working relationship with Jerry,” she said, adding that they’re building a strong development team which includes board and community members.

Allison joined the Institute in May 2012 with a background in small business and startup consulting and project management. That high-leverage, results-oriented practice informs her work on an organizational level, while her B.S. degree in Health Psychology and Spirituality from Bastyr University and practices in somatic therapies, yoga, and spiritual integration aid her in supporting and coordinating the human players in our Institute offices. “Learning how and why people do what they do has informed my career,” she said.

Allison is healed and inspired by the natural world, and spends much of her free time drawing or hiking around the Cascadia region. She points to the land as a vital part of what engages her at the Institute. When she first came to Chinook, she found an opportunity to peruse old photo albums. She said she was intrigued by pictures of happy people building things together on the land. “I’d like to create that opportunity for myself here,” she said, “while benefitting the community at large.” Allison also loves horses, and is looking forward to getting more time in the saddle now that she’s living on Whidbey.

Allison moved from her childhood home outside Washington, D.C., at age ten to New Mexico, which she still describes as her home—the place where her heart and her spirit are grounded. “I miss the big vistas and sunsets,” she said. The Northwest, on the other hand, inspires her with its widely progressive culture. “Many people [in the Northwest] are actively pursuing what they believe to be true and right,” she said, “and the verdant nature here is like a well-spring of life.”

While Allison says she is nurtured by what she calls the “playspace” of our land and offices, we as a team are nurtured by her attention to people, details, and the living entity that is the Institute. With her ability to simultaneously perceive immediate needs, challenges, and priorities AND hold our shared vision of where we’re headed as an organization, Allison serves simultaneously as our feet-on-the-ground and our fellow dreamer. In the tapestry that is the Whidbey Institute, our weaver is also one of our strongest threads.

January 6, 2014

Meet Our Board: Spotlight on Hilary

We are pleased to introduce Hilary Wilson: Event Wrangler Chief, Community Sourced Capital Product Development Manager, and new Whidbey Institute board member.

Hilary combines artistic energy with business acumen, macro sensitivity with attention to detail, and a knack for relationship building with an eye for strategy. Describing how her career as a fundraising consultant evolved, Hilary goes back to the beginning. “It was determined by the time I was six or seven that I would do something artsy.” That “something artsy” turned out to be as diverse as violin-playing, visual art, and event planning.

With a B.F.A. degree from the California Institute of the Arts and a demonstrated knack for producing events, Hilary found herself helping the city of Los Angeles plan cultural festivals. That evolved into event planning for the Gates Foundation in Seattle, then political fundraising in New York. Somewhere in all that, between fundraising, strategy, and event production, Hilary recognized an opportunity for growth. “There was something—like a protein in my diet—missing. That thing was a more core understanding of business. That’s why I went to BGI.”

It was through Hilary’s participation in the MBA program at the Bainbridge Graduate Institute that she found her first opportunity for service to the Whidbey Institute. Bringing her deep understanding of the value of network-buiilding and some new insight she’d gained as a student of sustainable business, Hilary reached out to propose bringing a team of students-in-service to the Institute over spring break in March, 2012. The idea took root, and soon nine BGI students and alumni were onsite for two and a half intensive days of work with staff and stakeholders, helping to clarify current purpose and direction of the Whidbey Institute.

“We had people who were able to listen with their best ears and best heart, and because we [BGI and the Whidbey Institute] were centered in some of the same language and vision, we could get a lot done,” Hilary said. It came at a perfect time, when the Whidbey Institute was ready for the students’ honing influence on an evolving vision. Hilary credits Heather Johnson, Institute Associate Director, with helping to make the effort a success by welcoming the students and taking the intensive session seriously.

Hilary was invited to join the board in the fall of 2013, shortly after presenting an inspiring and insightful “IgniteTalk” at our 40th Anniversary Festival. Hailing from Seattle, where she lives with her husband Sawyer Gillespie and adopted bearded collie Gustavo, Hilary is tapped into a demographic that we at the Institute are eager and ready to serve. “The work with Bioneers suggests there’s a need, and a resonance, with a whole new group of people who aren’t island residents but who love the work you do,” she said.

Hilary’s introductory board experience, at our November board retreat, allowed her a first glimpse of the work to come. “It’s amazing to work among this rich diversity of minds,” she said. “Even coming out of different circumstances, [the board] still has an ability to hold a collective vision. You can’t not be inspired sitting among this group of people and talking about this idea that’s more than an idea: it’s a place, a collection of hopes and dreams that are being realized.”

In addition to bringing her expertise in development to the table, Hilary is excited about working with the governance committee to build team agreements and structures to hold, support, and serve the board through change and over time. While she’s busy serving other organizations, consulting, and helping to get Community Sourced Capital off the ground, Hilary is excited about her future with the Whidbey Institute. “I want to spend time at the Institute,” she adds, “enjoying all it has to offer.” Oh, and one more thing: if you have any informal fiddling planned, this violinist wants to hear about it.

January 6, 2014

Our 2014 Board of Directors

As a non-profit educational 501(c)(3), we are fortunate for the leadership of our talented board of directors. Our board members demonstrate the courage, innovation, insight, and wisdom needed to guide us into our next chapter of achievement as an organization dedicated to the common good.

We’re excited for the year ahead. We have new members joining the board from both Whidbey Island and the Seattle area, with diverse backgrounds in business, non-profit administration, education, finance, and development. They share a dedication to the Institute’s mission and, together, bring vitality and experience to our work.

President Gabriel Shirley, Vice President Kate Snider, Secretary Francis Janes, and board members Dorothy Baumgartner, Rick Paine, Gary Jusela, and Dale Nienow continue in service to the Institute. Please join us in extending a warm welcome to new board members Barbara Schaetti, Christie Lynk, Cole Hoover, Hilary Wilson, and Sheryl Harmer.

We would like to thank retired board members Victoria Santos and Allan Ament for their service. Victoria and Allan, whose terms ended this year, remain involved with the Institute in many ways and we are grateful for their past service, continuing friendship, and ongoing engagement.

Watch for profiles of each our current board members in the coming months.

January 2, 2014

From the Heart

As we move out of 2013 into a new year, we at the Whidbey Institute would like to express our thanks.

To those whose gifts of time, money, talent, effort, and inspiration made 2013 such an incredible year for us and our partners, and to those whose sustaining support will carry us forward . . . we offer our sincere gratitude.

December 30, 2013

Addison tells it like it is

Addison Hokhmah thought he was coming to Bioneers to learn more about the environment. Here’s what he learned instead:

Whidbey Institute – Addison from Whidbey Institute on Vimeo.

The Whidbey Institute is a not-for-profit educational 501(c)(3); we depend on our community to support these endeavors. Please, make your tax-deductible donation today.

December 27, 2013

Stillness Tuesdays

In the hectic humdrum of our everyday lives, it’s challenging to find time for ourselves, sit in stillness, and simply be.

The Institute offers an ongoing opportunity to slow down, be with our breath and find greater peace and acceptance through the gift of meditation. Every month, from 7 to 8:30 pm on the first Tuesday of the month, join Howard Aposhyan and other members of the community in the sacred space of our Sanctuary for a time of Shamatha (“calm-abiding”) and Vipassana (“insight”) meditation practice.

Shamatha (“calm-abiding”) meditation is a tool for calming and stilling our highly active minds, clearing them of our everyday concerns and worries so that the way can be paved for new insights.

Vipassana (“insight”) meditation brings you into deep awareness of the world around you and the impermanence of all that exists.

Howard Aposhyan is a clinical psychologist and member of both the island and Institute communities, and has been holding meditation in the Sanctuary on the first Tuesday of every month for over six years.

December 20, 2013