By Andrew Syed
When I was in high school, I was fortunate to run on one of the best track and field teams in the country. Our team would go on to produce multiple professional athletes and at least one Olympic gold medal. One of our best events was the 4×400 relay. The four athletes that were on that team were each individually ranked in the 400 meter run. Put them together and they were unbeatable. What was remarkable and interesting about each of them was how different they were as runners. They each had their own unique running style. One ran with power and force, as if he was running through walls. Another ran with grace and elegance, almost gliding across the track. One of the runners ran with what can only be described as terrible running form, but it worked for him. Together, this foursome would win race after race and earn not only a state championship but one of the fastest times in the country.
As I begin my tenure here as Executive Director, I am being handed a baton from the previous leaders who also have been fortunate to lead this mission. I feel both the responsibility and the opportunity as those who have been before me have guided this organization into a unique position at a unique moment in history. Each previous Executive Director was different from the other and that is true for me as well. My goal and vision is to carry the baton effectively into the next chapter of our organizational story.
Over the next several months, The Conflict Center will enter into a strategic planning phase where we will look deeply at who we are, why we are here, and where we are going. We will also begin a campaign that will seek to raise the level of awareness and exposure of what we do in new areas of potential impact. The Conflict Center is approaching its 40th year of work and we will both look back at our story as well as look forward to what will be coming next. There are many challenges ahead, but those challenges are really opportunities to continue to make a difference by empowering people to use conflict to create connection and bridge understanding.
I am not running alone. I am surrounded by an amazing team as well as hundreds of facilitators and volunteers. Our support network is deep. Thank you for being a part of this movement.
Please, feel free to reach out to me any time. I am looking forward to connecting with all of our supporters as we both celebrate how far we have come and look ahead to where we are going.
Andrew Syed
