​I am so please to joining the amazing team at InStove. 

InStove implements safe, clean, and highly efficient institutional cookstoves and allied technologies in an integrated approach to serving the world’s poorest communities. InStove technologies are now in service in 23 countries around the world, including 15 countries in Africa.
Institutional Stove Solutions—InStove—is a 501(c)(3) non-profit humanitarian organization founded in 2012. We are dedicated to relieving suffering, improving health, and reducing harm to the environment through renewable energy technology and education.

Three stone fire and other inefficient cooking methods – used by almost half of the world’s people every day – cause serious problems for human health and the environment:

• Indoor air pollution from burning solid fuels like wood causes 4.3 million premature deaths each year, is the leading cause of premature deaths among children, and is a major contributor to climate change.
• Firewood harvesting is responsible for half of global deforestation and can lead to the assault, abduction, or rape of the women and girls responsible for gathering it.
• Unstable and unsafe cooking techniques frequently cause debilitating, life-altering burns.

 This toll on human health and well-being is paid almost exclusively by women and children.

I am very excited to be joining an amazing organization here in Eugene, OR called WellMama as the new, part-time executive director.  About half of my time will be dedicated to grant writing.

WellMama’s Mission, Vision, and Core Values: WellMama Maternal Mental Health and Support Services is a comprehensive nonprofit providing pregnancy and postpartum mental health support services to women and their families in Eugene and Springfield, Oregon. We support families struggling with emotions related to reproductive health issues, including pregnancy, the first few years postpartum, adoption, infertility, and perinatal loss.
Our Mission: WellMama provides support, information, advocacy, and access to appropriate treatment to women who may be suffering from perinatal mood or anxiety disorders as well as mental health conditions related to all reproductive health events. WellMama is dedicated to raising community awareness of perinatal mental health by providing education on prevention, universal screening, and appropriate treatment and resources to women and the professionals who serve them.
Our Objectives: WellMama volunteers provide accurate information and confidential, nonjudgemental support to women, their families, and support people through our free warm-line, email support, and group support services. WellMama provides education, consultation, and training to the professional community on the most recent research on prevention, screening, diagnosis, and treatment of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders.
Our Values:

• Accurate information and support for the emotional challenges of pregnancy, birth, and parenting is a matter of basic rights, social justice, and appropriate health care.
• Women and their families should never feel alone.
• Parents are never to blame for their depression, anxiety, or mood disorders, and they should receive understanding and compassion from their communities.
• Emotional support during pregnancy and after deliver is key to preventing the development of severe mood disorders, including postpartum depression.
• All families should have access to pregnancy and postpartum support services.

http://www.wellmamaoregon.com/

I have found that investing in myself in the realm of education and learning, has one of the greatest paybacks for me, my family, friends, and community. So it is with great excitement that I have decided to pursue the Graduate Certificate in Nonprofit Management at U of O this fall. I am finding myself more and more drawn to the nonprofit world and feel that this certificate will shore up and strengthen my skill-set. I am psyched to go back to school (yet again)! http://pppm.uoregon.edu/grad/nonprofit