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LEADING LADIES AN INDEPENDENT SERIES • PART 8
MOLLY ANDERSON Molly Anderson has been Director of the Nantucket Atheneum for three years. She is the eighth director of the library, and one of seven women who have led the institution. "I feel that I'm standing on the shoulders of a remarkable group of women. It has been a wonderful legacy," said Anderson, noting that island astronomer Maria Mitchell was the Atheneum's first director in 1836. Founded in 1834 as a private membership library, the Atheneum became a public library in 1900 and now has a 26-member Board of Trustees. The Atheneum's mission is to provide books, materials and programs to meet the educational, informational, cultural and recreational needs of yearround and summer children, teens and adults.
The other program Anderson is excited about is the One Book, One Island program now entering its second year. An outgrowth of collaboration among 15 Nantucket nonprofit organizations, it fosters a love of reading as well as a sense of community because many islanders are reading the same book at the same time and talking about it amongst themselves. The spirit of collaboration is one of the reasons Anderson chose to move to Nantucket. "I've done a lot of thinking about what drew me to Nantucket and what I've learned working with many [women] leaders. One of the qualities women bring to leadership is that women value the importance of close and working relationships. I think that is very prevalent here, so women feel that that is a good fit. But in order for those relationships to build it takes time. The pace of Nantucket allows the time for the really strong development of those critical relationships. People on Nantucket value individuals for their unique experiences and gifts. Unlike many parts of the country, I think we place an unusual emphasis on what the Quakers call one's inner light."
The 'Sconset Trust was founded in 1984 and Erika Mooney has served as its executive director for nearly five years. With a 20-member Board of Directors, the Trust's primary mission is to preserve 'Sconset's unique characteristics by protecting open space and buildings of historic significance. Including nine acres of upland transferred to the Trust from the U.S. Coast Guard for the relocation of Sankaty Light, the organization now holds approximately 84 acres on the island's eastern end. Originally founded as a land trust to prevent development from sprawling across the village's surrounding greenbelt, the Trust is now also working to increase community outreach through newsletters and meetings. Also, for the last three summers, the Trust has partnered with the Maria Mitchell Association to offer special 'Sconset bird watching walks. During the same three-year period, the Trust has held winter cocktail parties in New York City for the many members who live in the area.
Mooney further notes this summer's receipt of a preservation easement for the historic 'Sconset Union Chapel. The Trust also holds a preservation easement on the former Atlantic House on Main Street in 'Sconset which is currently a private home. "Hopefully we will be able to add more," Mooney said of her and the Trust's goals, adding her observations about the island's support for women in important positions. "I think there is such a history of women in business, running projects and running organizations that has never ceased over the years. It is so much more the norm than in other communities. This community is so receptive to women in leadership roles more than might be the case in other communities." KARYN LINDSAY The Alliance for the Prevention of Substance Abuse was founded in 1995 as a merger between the school system's Substance Abuse Advisory Council and the Nantucket Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. Lindsay has been on ASAP's board since 1998, became a school representative community member in 2003 and has been its president since June 2005. The organization's 20-member Board of Directors, including three youths, stand behind its mission to provide leadership, education and support in the community for the prevention and treatment of substance abuse, alcoholism, drug dependence and related problems. Through its many programs, ASAP works to achieve its goals by such means such as treatment scholarships for islanders in early stages recovery who need to enroll in long-term care on the mainland but cannot afford it or are uninsured. ASAP also runs the Red Ribbon program year-round, which is a school and community-based program that presents forums on substance abuse issues. ASAP has applied for a grant to offer a youth Take it Back program, offering young people an assessment tool to analyze underage drinking and its causes and then mobilize the community to take action on the assessment results. Further, among many accomplishments, ASAP initiated and funded the first youth risk behavior survey that provided information on causes, patterns and consequences of underage substance abuse. It also held a public forum on the survey in April 2006, followed by a second survey and planned forum for January 2008. In 2006, ASAP was among two Southeastern Massachusetts communities receiving a $550,000 grant for a science-based program called Communities Mobilizing for Change on Alcohol to reduce youth access to liquor. Looking ahead, Lindsay said the organization hopes to coordinate a plan to provide more youthdedicated locations for healthy recreation and to utilize comprehensive strategies to reduce lifetime adult substance abuse and thwart the pattern in young people. As with her colleagues, Lindsay works hard at what she does, and views Nantucket's encouragement of women as leaders as part of its accepting characteristic stretching back to the whaling era. "This is the 21st century - if a woman is the most qualified candidate for the position she should be hired or appointed to serve. We might be an isolated community, but we are as progressive as mainland communities, if not more so," she said. "Nantucket has a deep, rich history of self-reliance that clearly embraces the strengths and talents of women as well as men. It is woven into our culture. Our economy and our prosperity depend on our ability to engage a diversity of talent, especially the collective talents of women. I do feel women are in leadership roles because they are qualified, not because they are women." PHYLLIS MCINERNEY The Nantucket Boys and Girls Club was founded in 1945 and now has an 18-member Board of Directors and a nine-member advisory board. McInerney has served as executive director since May 2005 and explained that the national organization was initiated to assist underprivileged children but now has an overall mission to help youth become responsible, caring citizens. The island's club has grown over time and pro- vides varied programs including athletics, a computer lab, an arts program, a learning center and games and music. There is also Power Hour where kids do homework and earn points for their efforts, with the top 10 monthly earners having a party. The club also has an important mentoring program, with older club members working with younger members to boost self-esteem. On weekend nights the club has begun holding hours just for teenagers when they may play video games, watch movies and listen to their favorite music. "The staff right now is very in tune to the arts. The kids are thriving on it. They love it," said McInerney. She said her future goals for the club include enlarging its improvisational theater offerings and extending what is now a very small and limited cooking class program that has to share space in the computer lab. She, like the kids, is thriving on what happens at the club and is appreciative of Nantucket's supportive nature when it comes to choosing women to fill so many of the community's vital, human service positions. "I think we have the opportunity here. Women have always had a leadership role on the island," she said. "We have never been turned away from work. When you find your passion, people allow you to expand on it. I am grateful for the job. I love it. The club is so important." LIZ MCCUSKER The Friends of Nantucket Public Schools was founded as a parent/teacher organization in 1983 and now has a 20-member Board of Directors. McCusker has been president of the Friends for three years. The organization's mission is to enhance and enrich the island's public school student experience, and to support and promote the highest quality of education possible. The Friends' programs differ every year, but McCusker highlighted some she views as most important, including fundraisers that provide money to each school and allow teachers to make requests for materials they believe will enhance their classrooms but that are not covered by the school budget; fundraising that provides opportunities for enrichment programs such as inviting guest speakers to the island, and paying for student travel - to mainland museums, for example - which many families could not afford. The Friends also hosts parent forums, financially supports the high school Accidentals and Naturals male and female choruses, has a teacher/coach scholarship fund for educators who attend continuing education and a children's scholarship fund with monies awarded to pupils who take music and dance lessons or who participate in sports programs. "We want to provide support for the parents. It is a different world in terms of what support parents need," said McCusker. For the future, McCusker said the Friends are exploring Challenge Day to bring in experts to talk about school cliques and female student aggression as well as the emotional well-being of boys. "We are exploring speakers from off island to address some of the concerns we have with the culture and the well-being of our children. The biggest thing we are doing is trying to keep going forward. I don't think the mission has changed - that's the bottom line," she said. "We are not just a fundraising machine, we really are there for the parents, teachers and students. We all come from different places and walks of life, but as parents we all want the same things for our children, and this board works hard to fill that need within our school system." As for her opinion on the female presence in Nantucket's wide-reaching community sectors, including her own organization, she said, "We have had a couple of men come and go. Predominantly, it has been women. Intuitively, when we perceive a need in the community we collaborate to fill that void, whatever it may be. That's why we all work so well together. I truly believe that everyone has something to offer, and it's important that we be good listeners and we listen to what other people have to say." I |
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