About the Author
Debbie Dellinger
Debbie Dellinger is Director of External Engagement for My Next Season, overseeing philanthropic partnerships, not-for-profit strategy, board education, and networking practices. Attentive and thorough, she is dedicated to matching the wealth of experience possessed by transitioning executives with organizations where their talents and abilities can make a meaningful and mutually beneficial impact.
A dedicated community volunteer for more than two decades, Debbie previously served as the Lay Leader of Missions, Education, and Life Skills at the nation’s largest United Methodist Church, managing a volunteer partner program impacting 2,200 children in the Kansas City Metro area. She also spent five years as Board Chair of The Hope Center supporting at-risk urban youth and families. Before transitioning to her career serving not-for-profits, Debbie spent nearly a decade working for GE Consulting and Honeywell Information Systems.
Personal aha moments during the COVID-19 pandemic:
I got over my aversion to FaceTime and loved “visiting with” family and friends online.
The musical performances by choirs and orchestras and shared via online platforms were powerful and uplifting.
My closets have never been cleaner and my paperwork never more organized.
Zoom is an active verb that has nothing to do with Buzz Lightyear. I am working on my favorite background and been zoom bombed. Meet me in a zoom room?
Facial hair is not a good look for any of my three sons.
For the first time in years, I feel the rhythm of the seasons and have noticed details lost to me since youth.
We were given the opportunity to respond to a frightening and unprecedented pandemic. So many were courageous and resilient but none more than healthcare workers, farmers, teachers, merchants and delivery people.
I have witnessed our collective awakening: the morbidity among specific populations is a result of inequitable social determinants, and it has become clear that we each have a part in the problem and the solution.