The Latest Dirt - September 2024

A Big Thank You from Your Executive Leadership Team

by David George

I was honored in June to be elected to the Contra Costa UC Master Gardener Executive Leadership Team, “ELT” for short. As a Newbie, I was unsure about which roles and responsibilities lie with the ELT and which are the domain of the Executive Committee (EC). The ELT is a relatively new executive group formed in 2021 to replace the singular role of President. Each position is a 2-year commitment. The five, plus the Secretary and sometimes the Treasurer, meet once per month via Zoom, usually the week before the monthly Executive Committee meetings. The five members are each a liaison to 3-4 projects and their leads. Leads and Co-leads can elevate needs, problems, or opportunities concerning their projects by liaising with the ELT for discussion and/or direction. The ELT is also responsible for refreshing and publishing the program’s rolling 5-Year Strategic Plan – our organization’s overall goals and objectives.

In contrast, Project Leads and Co-leads comprise the Executive Committee (EC). So, the EC’s size and composition vary as leads or projects retire or new leads and projects are approved. Each Lead or Co-lead is a voting member of the body, and the EC can approve new leads, new projects, and annual project operating budgets and make policy changes for the projects and the overall program. The ELT does not vote or approve but recommends actions to be considered for a vote by the EC.

Are you confused yet? You can see why I needed clarification on the roles and responsibilities of the ELT and EC. Volunteer hours supporting these bodies are a far cry from figuring out what is eating Our Garden tomatoes or instructing community gardeners on efficient irrigation and advanced tree trimming practices. New Volunteer Training does not teach us Master Gardeners how to balance 6-figure budgets or set in motion effective 5-Year Plans. Fortunately, many of us have a background in business that prepares us for these types of tasks. It’s a necessary contribution to the health of our program, but gardening is more fun.

The overall program perspective one gains from ELT membership is really interesting, though. In my brief ELT tenure, I have seen the impressive level of commitment and experience that both ELT and EC members bring to the table. These leaders, both past and present, are directly responsible for our program’s current health, growth, direction, and value to the communities we serve. What would the GTPS be without the leadership of Mary Jo Corby? Or Our Garden without Janet Miller? Or, well, the list goes on and on.

Both ELT members and EC Project Leads are the first to acknowledge, “Nothing would have happened without the massive dedication and support shown by each and every project’s Master Gardener volunteers.” UC Master Gardeners is not the first all-volunteer organization I have been involved with. But it outshines other organizations with the level of commitment and volunteerism poured into our goals and successes. In our type of organization, you cannot say thank you often enough. So, on behalf of my fellow ELT members, Thank You for making our program endeavors so successful, and Thank You for the real and sincere dedication to our impactful community outreach activities.