Jericho Road Pasadena Community-Based Organization Hosts 2nd Annual “Leadership Connection”

Jericho Road Pasadena, a community-based organization that works with over 125 nonprofits in the San Gabriel Valley and Northeast Los Angeles, is hosting its 2nd Annual The Leadership Connection, a comprehensive workshop which trains and prepares participants to serve on nonprofit boards.

The three 3-hour sessions will be held Tuesdays on January 24 and 31 and February 7, 2017 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Western Justice Center in Pasadena. The registration fee is $500 for individuals and $750 for a corporate rate. Registration closes on January 13.

The Leadership Connection is a great opportunity for individuals interested in serving on a nonprofit board. The benefits for participating in this workshop include learning critical professional skills that apply both to nonprofit board service and business management, supporting important work carried out by nonprofit organizations that rely on local leadership as well as raising the profile and influence of the individual in their community. In addition to personal and professional development, Jericho Road Pasadena matches individuals to join the right nonprofit board that best utilizes their talents and work experience.

The workshop is led by local and dynamic experts, who present topics about nonprofit governance, financial and legal oversight, strategic planning, resource development and ambassadorship.

The two trainers conducting the Pasadena conference are Mitch Dorger and Judy Plunkett.

Mitch Dorger is Principal at Dorger Consulting and former Chief Executive Officer at the Tournament of Roses. He brings more than 40 years of experience, including 20 years as the chief executive officer in organizations as large as 1800 people with operating budgets up to $100 million. His work experience encompasses a wide range of functional areas, including international relations, program planning and budgeting, crisis management, government relations, event management and sports management.

Judy Plunkett is a nonprofit consultant, former Director of the Society of Fellows at The Huntington and former Executive Director at the Arboretum Foundation. She is a life-longvolunteer, board member and fundraiser and has worked with organizations that focus on education, youth development, health and the environment.

Ideal candidates for serving on nonprofit boards demonstrate the following qualities:

• Work well in groups
• Have good interpersonal skills
• Possess leadership experience or potential including vision, strategic thinking, and expertise in the field
• Interested in being more involved with the community
• Willingness to serve on a nonprofit board and make an annual donation

Registration for The Leadership Connection closes January 13. For more information send a resume to Jericho Road Pasadena Director Melanie Goodyear at MGoodyear@JRPasadena.org.

Pending review of your resume, Goodyear will schedule an hour-long orientation to explain the program and get to know you and your volunteer interests. Please visit their website www.jrpasadena.org for more information.

Western Justice Center is located at 55 S. Grand Ave., in Pasadena.

About Jericho Road Pasadena

Jericho Road Pasadena is a non-sectarian, nonprofit corporation that bridges communities by matching the professional talents of volunteers with the needs of community-based nonprofit organizations and businesses to promote community development, strengthen social services, and enrich the lives of volunteers.

Since Jericho Road Pasadena officially opened its doors in May 2010, over 100 skilled volunteers have completed 320 capacity-building projects for local nonprofits. The projects have provided partner organizations the equivalent of $745,000 of operational assistance, with over 8,000 hours in staffing—all through qualified volunteers and absolutely free to the organizations in need.

Skilled volunteers improve nonprofits’ operational capacity, including board development, marketing, informational technology, finance and human resources, among other operational issues.

About Melanie Goodyear

Melanie Goodyear is Executive Director of Jericho Road Pasadena. As a nonprofit professional with 20 years of experience, which includes Worldvision’s Los Angeles regional program, Goodyear has dedicated her career to helping the needy, leading her to diverse experiences such as working at an orphanage in Mexico, and community organizing at National City Collaborative in a poor immigrant neighborhood in San Diego. Prior to working with JRP, she managed volunteers at Monrovia Public Library. She has consulted extensively with nonprofits, helping to build each organization’s capacity. Goodyear has a Bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College and a Master’s degree from Claremont School of Theology and is a certified volunteer administrator.