Having a chance to give and to learn.
MMBay volunteer leader Annie L. is a Program Manager of Product Integrity at Meta, and joined MMBay in 2023 as a founding Co-Chief Program Officer of the San Jose site. Annie is Volunteer #2 of our San Jose site, and a critical leader in drawing in more volunteers to join the leadership team as well as the broader volunteer coalition. Reflecting on her experience, Annie shares why she was inspired to lead at MMBay:
“Volunteerism has been an important part of my life for many years, and I've had a range of volunteer experiences supporting both health- and education-based nonprofits in the Bay Area. Now that I'm mid-career and have had the chance to build resources of my own, I realize that what I want to do with my resources is to give back as much as possible. That’s what fulfills me.
I joined San Jose’s founding Steering team as Co-Chief Program Officer because, in addition to being an opportunity to give back, it was also an intellectually stimulating role through which I knew I would learn a lot. There's so much in the work of organizational leadership, that I don't always get to learn or try in my full-time job. MMBay was the perfect combination of being both a way to serve, and a place where I could be challenged to grow.”