$100,553 of $200,000 raised.
As told by Patrick Howard, Reach's next Board Chair.
I know a little something about following in the footsteps of impressive people. My brother and I now lead a company started by our grandfather and then led by our father. So, when I recently agreed that, in May 2020, I will become Reach’s second-ever Board Chair, I was very aware of the person I would be following.
Mike Young is Reach’s first Board Chair, and he’s made incredible intellectual and leadership contributions to Reach’s first ten years. Recently, he became the first person that is not a tutor or a staff member to earn The Reach Hoodie. That's a big deal. He’s even the first person to ever be featured in two different years in this end-of-year campaign!
Mark often credits Mike with helping him learn to lead an organization, something Mike did for many years. When the board begins moving too fast, Mike knows how to slow us down. He has dramatically limited the number of poor decisions made during our Saturday morning meetings.
But now, Mike is going to shift to a new role. I know I’ll lean on him as a mentor and friend as I get my feet under me in this new role. When facilitating meetings or leading discussions, I will try to lean on the things I’ve learned by watching Mike over the last ten years as a fan and the last two as a colleague. It’s one of the reasons I’m so happy he’s staying on the board, even as he steps down from his role as Chair.
Mike leaves big shoes to fill. There’s no doubt about that. But, he has shown me what #AlwaysThere means. He’s been there for Reach, and I’ll do my best to do the same. I’ll enter my new role with confidence, because I know that Mike will be #AlwaysThere for me.
All this month, we will be sharing stories about members of the Reach community that are #AlwaysThere for the organization and those we serve. Mike Young has been Reach’s Board Chair for the last eight years. He’s also a Trustee with the Horning Family Fund. Patrick Howard, Reach’s next Board Chair is the Chief Underwriting Officer for Howard Insurance. He currently serves as Reach's Board Treasurer.
Make a gift here to support our 2020 #AlwaysThere campaign.