Fond Farewell to Our Alumni Committee + Exciting TCFS Alumnae News
As we complete our sixth year as an official non-profit organization, we have welcomed more than 1,300 fellows from 80+ countries to our alumnae community. Together, we make up the largest global community of established and emerging women leaders committed to social change. We are honored you are part of this extraordinary group of women.
2022 will be a transformative year for TCFS. More on that in just a moment! But first, a fond farewell.
(By the way, this is a bit longer blog today with important news… so please read it through to the end).
A Sincere and Fond Farewell to Our 2020–2021 Alumni Committee
At the close of 2021, after several thoughtful conversations between the AC and the TCFS team, we decided together to end the committee in its current form and evolve the way we meet the needs of our alumnae. The 2020–2021 AC, Casey McDermott, Julie Markham, Kate Seaman, Priyanka Rao, Erika Piquero, Lisa Rudi, played a pivotal role for the TCFS Alumnae throughout last year and right from the start of the pandemic. As 100% volunteers, they were the ones who planned and organized our community-led and coach-led monthly sessions. They also wrote and sent out our monthly alumnae newsletter.
This core group of women took on the role of supporting our alumnae community during the most difficult circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. We will be forever grateful to their dedication, love and lasting influence.
“We have had an absolute blast organizing various activities that harness the power of our community and bring us together, such as community-led meetups and monthly group-coaching sessions. We are deeply appreciative of the coaches and fellow alumni members who volunteered their time to provide these sessions.” Kate Seaman Co-Chair.
Casey McDermott, Co-Chair, wholeheartedly speaks for the whole Alumni Committee, “We want to thank you for your support and engagement throughout our tenure as AC members. We are excited to rejoin the community as fellow alums; if you’re interested in connecting with us, we’re around on Slack or are accessible on our personal emails.”
Why Are We Saying Goodbye?
When we first created TCFS, we wanted to cultivate an Alumni Committee who would be (1) leaders and representatives of you regularly in contact with the TCFS team to better understand your needs, and (2) able to help support the growth and development of the community.
Our wish was that this group of leaders would help further decentralize the organization and engagement within the community. These volunteer alumnae organized meet-ups, started Slack channels, organized community events and published a monthly newsletter. The system worked very well for several years. We are so thankful for the hours of service the Alumni Committee and all of its members over the years has provided.
Now, as our global community has grown well beyond a thousand members, it is clear the community has different needs. We have decided to provide a new level of support to meet those needs, which will come directly from the TCFS core organization. Whilst the Alumni Committee will no longer be active, their hard work and influence laid the foundation for our community. Their DNA will be forever locked in TCFS.
What’s Next?
We are now a community of 1,300+ women leaders that is growing every year by at least 300 new members. We are made up of both well-established leaders in our fields, and incredible emerging women leaders, all committed to social change. We are truly global, with women living and working in 80+ countries. We are a powerhouse of change and impact.
At TCFS we are committed to your growth and well-being as leaders, and we want to continue to help accelerate your influence and impact in the world.
Over the next year, TCFS will become The Women’s Impact Alliance. This is much more than a name change. There will be an exciting new range of opportunities to develop your leadership, and connect deeply with your peers across the globe. Furthermore, there will be many more ways to get involved in the organization and help nurture this unique and special community of change-makers.
At our core, we are a group of women who empower other women. We know that when we support each other on our journey in work and in life, we not only help one woman, we help all women rise. This new chapter of TCFS aims to fuel our collective social impact, and foster connection, and shared support. As one TCFS Alumnae once said “TCFS is the backbone for women of impact where a request for help is quickly met, where partnerships are founded, resources shared, and a sisterhood cultivated.”
We are excited and ready to realize a vision held for many years. There will be much more to come, and for now, one final and massive thank you to our Alumni Committee throughout all the years — you have made this new chapter possible.
Always in Fellowship.
