Re-wired

I was at a meeting the other day with some colleagues who run some major nonprofit human service agencies in the Western PA area. It is a group that meets each month for mutual support and to join hands to address common challenges.

We start each of our meetings with personal updates on what is new at our agencies and the colleagues can weigh in with thoughts or recommendations. When it came my turn for the update, I focused on the search process CLASS is taking to find the next CEO to step in when I retire from my administrative roles. After 45 years at CLASS, 27 as CEO, it is time to move on to new things.

When I finished my update one of my colleagues said it is not about being “retired,” but to become “rewired.” After thinking about it my colleague is right. As many of us “baby boomers” begin to step aside, many of us do not plan to check out. Given our experiences, backgrounds, and wisdom, the next step really is a rewiring - a chance to do more of what we feel destined to do.

Certainly for many of us who have been dedicated to our organizations and especially their causes, it is hard to step away - but the notion of rewiring to find new, and innovative ways to impact our world, is there for the taking.

I can’t wait for this next phase of my life!