Foundation director resigns after impactful philanthropy
The sun is about to set on what many local residents have viewed as a fruitful chapter of the Taos Community Foundation as Director Lisa O’Brien steps down after six years in the role, officially resigning on Feb. 28.“I woke up a few weeks ago to the announcement of the New Zealand Prime Minister sharing her decision to step down,” O’Brien said in a press release. “That she ‘didn’t have any more in the tank’ and she had the ‘responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not.’ It was refreshing for me to hear her clarity, as it truly mirrored my own.”
After an impactful tenure as director, the announcement took many by surprise. O’Brien announced her resignation at a housing project meeting on Feb. 3 and was met with confusion as people asked if she would continue to attend council meetings. Other reactions among colleagues and coworkers consisted of “deer in the headlights” and sincere congratulations. After all, O’Brien’s time in the role was nothing shy of prosperous.
According to John Hamilton, a Taos Community Foundation board member, TCF went from around $7 million in assets to $20 million, plus reserves that could fund the foundation for two years, while O’Brien was at the helm. Additionally, TCF went from granting $700,000 to $2 million
annually and expanded its network of agency funds from 17 local nonprofits to 42, with a wall commemorating the network of organizations in the conference room.
Even during COVID, while many
experienced a lull in their lives, TCF went into full gear, creating the Fund for Taos, an emergency fund geared toward pandemic support. However, the fund was not exclusive to COVID and was also used to finance support for the Calf Canyon–Hermits Peak Fire and the windstorm of Dec. 15, 2021.
O’Brien continued to refer to her departure as “bittersweet” as she reflected on the relationships she made throughout her 17 total years with the Foundation.
O’Brien and her staff were not just coworkers, she said. She recalled the life events they’d endured
together, from deceased family members to newborn infants. “This is my work family in a lot of ways,” O’Brien said.
“My announcement, I get really choked-up about it,” O’Brien said, “mostly because I look around tables that I get to participate in, and I have incredible friendships that I have developed. The sadness for me is not having a seat at those tables in the same way that I have. I know that I have incredible friendships and professional colleagues that I have acquired, and those relationships don’t go away, but I won’t be in the same configuration.”
Not only will she be forfeiting her seat at those discussions; she also must face the unfamiliar. According to O’Brien, she has never left a position without having another one lined up. This time, however, she’s stepping forward with her eyes closed, calling it a “weird place to be in.”
“I think part of the unsettledness is I don’t have another job, and that was personal for me to say I need to make one decision for myself at a time and not get it all convoluted,” O’Brien said. “So, I basically just made a decision that it was time. I think I’ve done a really amazing job here, and I’m proud of the work I’ve done, and it’s now time for me to do something else. And the ‘something else’ is not known, so that’s the uncertainty of it.”
With so many accomplishments in her role as director for the foundation, O’Brien will be missed by both her colleagues and the community. For now, a transition team consisting of Hamilton and Abby Sanger, another board member, are moving forward with developing a job description for the soon-tobe-vacant role. The team will begin searching for two interim directors to temporarily take O’Brien’s place.
“Lisa’s beautiful shoes are going to be extremely hard to fill,” Sanger said, “and we’re going to see how we can do that in the best way possible for the Foundation and to keep this work going.”
An announcement regarding the interim directors will be made soon, but no specific date was provided.
“I’m really solid in the decision that I’ve made,” O’Brien said. “There’s not a bone in my body that has any worry about the Foundation. There’s just incredible depth and commitment from the board and an amazing team. Everyone knows what to do.”