From the desk of DeeDee Lafayette: the only constant thing is change. ....

As this issue of Special Delivery goes to press, we are preparing to say goodbye to Gina Forbes and welcome two new people to the staff. We're very excited about the new energy coming into the office, but very sad that Gina won't be here as ALACE continues to grow.

Gina joined the ALACE staff as the Workshop Coordinator immediately after graduating from Simmons College in June of 2005. She has done an incredible job supporting the sponsors as they do the ground work to bring an ALACE Labor Assistant Training Workshop to their community. I'm sure those of you who have had the good fortune to work with Gina have appreciated her energy, support and organizational skills.

In addition to her contribution as the workshop coordinator, Gina has played a huge role in strategic planning, both for the Labor Assistant Training Program and for ALACE as a whole. She excels at thinking outside the box and coming up with creative solutions for difficult problems.

Gina is leaving ALACE August 31st to pursue her midwifery training. While we will miss her greatly here in the office, we are sure that as a midwife she will empower hundreds of women and touch hundreds of lives with her warmth and compassion.

Whitney Hogan will be joining us in August as the new Workshop Coordinator. Whitney just graduated from Bowdoin College in Maine with an impressive academic and extracurricular career. She ran the Campus Women's Center and directed V-Day (a production of the Vagina Monologues). We are very excited to have Whitney join the ALACE staff.

In early July we welcomed Nora Weatherby, a student at Lesley University, as a part-time office assistant. Nora has been a joy to work with and has been a tremendous help while we are short-staffed.

As you know, we announced in the last issue of Special Delivery that we were recruiting a new Executive Director. We interviewed several wonderful candidates, but because the compensation we are able to offer is less than competitive, we were unable to hire anyone. As an interim step, we have hired Heather Amsden, a Development Consultant, who is focusing on fundraising, so that we will be in a position to hire an Executive Director in the future, as well as expand our current programs.

So, there is a great deal of transition happening at ALACE this summer. If you hear a new voice on the phone, please welcome the new person (and be patient while they learn the ropes!).