Responsibilities at the Trauma Foundation
I’ve been working with
the Trauma Foundation finances since 1986, except for one year spent at the
World Institute on Disability in the early 2000’s. Over these years, I have
played many roles, primarily as the Chief Financial Officer, responsible for
the supervision and day-to-day financial operations of this uniquely creative
and complex non-profit. I rejoiced when grants came in and stretched dollars
in lean years.
We had many successes; the fire-safe
cigarette, the California motorcycle helmet law, and our multiple roles in The
California Wellness Foundation’s Violence Prevention Initiative. Combining survivor
advocacy with gun violence prevention, we began the Bell Campaign, and soon became
the Million Mom March. However, our grassroots efforts collided with the internal
and external politics of gun control, and so we pulled back to bare bones.
The Trauma Foundation now has a business
office in my home in Novato and Lisa Westin is still the bookkeeper. Some things
never change.
Liked most about the Trauma Foundation
The most exciting part
was the freedom the Trauma Foundation provided. While the organization
allowed us to grow as individuals, we also worked as a community of colleagues,
sharing our successes and failures. We did program, the books, fixed computers,
put together massive conferences and trainings. We also licked stamps,
cleaned offices, moaned and groaned, plotted and planned and, slowly, we
changed the world a little bit at a time. At the same time we grew older,
became parents, cared for our families, become grandparents, great-grandparents,
and all the while, we shared our lives. Our leaders were folks like us
and were always part of the team.
These days, despite going in different directions,
many of us have stayed in touch, meet at each others’ homes, and maintain this
wonderful extended family.
Learnings still useful
At the Trauma Foundation I learned how important it is to create a working environment that allows for ease in communication, that has family spirit in the work place, that respects the creative contributions each staff person makes, and that respects the importance of allowing life to be part of work. This is what makes organizations strong and successful.
Now
I am still with the Trauma Foundation,
as a consultant. Concurrently, for more than five years, I have worked
as a Financial Analyst for UCSF's
San Francisco Injury Center as both full time and part time employee.
And, as Andrew McGuire turned his skills toward a Single Payer Health Care
movement in California, I became a part-time financial consultant to Health
Care for All (HCA) California and the HCA Education Fund, and California
Onecare.
I have also started
a new bookkeeping service with Lisa Westin called "The Bookkeepers."
Contact
Replace "at" with "@" - we wish to thwart the spammers!
Email address: marylyn at traumaf.org or marylynthornton at comcast.net.
6/2/10