I seem to start the sentence with, “well, I was retired…”We officially retired August 1, 2023 but by late November I was working again for TSA. Then came the oppportunity to serve on the Civida Board of Trustees. That’s what I refer to as the “other job”.

This has been an experience that I have really enjoyed and I’ve met some absolutely terrific people.

The last couple of weeks has been more work with the board, though I can’t publicly comment on that work. I would say this, that the work is so similar to the work of our own Territorial Management Board or Governing Council.

I noted in the minutes of the fourndation board, which I also sit on, they are now announcing my leaving in April 2026. IT’s been fun but more time than I expected and with my “day job” I just don’t want to be that busy.

But that’s not what I wanted to write about today.

I wanted to talk about the motivation I see in people. From the board trustees, who “volunteer” their time (there is a payment, but it’s small compared to what these people would normally make) to the executive leaders and their support staff, the desire to do well, to make a difference, is very strong. Yes, there are people who have mixed motives, but I have met few. The desire to balance short and long term objectives is in most of our conversations.

These are very smart, very educated people who could go make more money elsewhere. They do have a real interest in legacy work and the challenges are immense, so the work is important and not simple. And maybe that’s the thing I’ve enjoyed. Meeting these good people enriches my life – our lives.