Meet our Newest Board Member, Virginia Felton
Meet our Newest ARS Board Member: Virginia Felton, Seattle, WA
Current Position
Part-time Communications Consultant, Website Producer, member of ARS Board of Directors
Education
Master’s in Business Administration, University of Washington, 1987; Master of Arts in Teaching, SUNY at New Paltz, 1972; Bachelor of Arts in English Literature, Syracuse University, 1970.
Experience as it relates to ARS
For most of my career, my work has focused on nonprofit management, with an emphasis on communications. After a five-year period of teaching High School English in upstate New York, I relocated to Seattle in 1970, where I have held leadership positions in three large nonprofits. I worked initially at the Pike Place Market, serving by the end of my ten-years there as Director of Property Management and Marketing. I spent the next 12 years as Executive Director of The Mountaineers, a 15,000-member conservation and outdoor activities organization, and guidebook publisher. Following that, I served as Director of Communications and Strategic Planning for the Seattle Housing Authority, an organization providing housing for more than 28,000 people.
During this time I served in leadership positions on several nonprofit boards including the following: Seattle Recorder Society (current president); Founding member, Consort Spiritus recorder consort sponsored by University Congregational UCC (nine years); Seattle CityClub (board member for 10 years); The Whidbey Institute (board president for three years); UW Business School Alumni Association (board member and president); The Committee to End Homelessness (communications team); and Northwest Bookfest (president for three years).
In Depth
Music has been a consistent source of joy and pleasure in my life since my first French Horn lesson as a seventh grader. My fondest memories of high school were the hours I spent in band practice and chorus. French horns were too expensive for students to buy, so the school provided them. In college, the school provided a euphonium for participation in the marching band (we practiced more than the football team). After college and the inevitable foray into guitar playing, I sought a way to fill the music-making void in my life and bought my first alto recorder, a Moeck maple student model with a straight windway. I taught myself to play, acquiring many bad habits along the way, and was soon seeking out duet partners for those marvelous Telemann duets. And of course, I’ve expanded my collection of recorders over the years so that it now functions as a small lending library of instruments from sopranino to bass.
Since I stopped working full time, I have finally been able to devote more time to practicing and ensemble playing. Joining the Seattle Recorder Society led to participation in various workshops, and I invested in lessons, working to eliminate those bad habits. Attending a workshop class directed by Soren Sieg remains a highlight.
I joined ARS several years ago, and last year became a Lifetime Member. I was glad to be appointed to a board position because I want to open the possibilities and joys of music to more people, and the recorder is an ideal gateway to this world. I believe that my deep experience as both a board member and leader within nonprofit organizations can be of value to this organization. And as with all membership organizations, communication is a key element. As an organization we must articulate a clear vision of our future, and then communicate it effectively so that others are inspired to invest their efforts in bringing it to fruition. I have a deep commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and would work toward expanding music opportunities for populations who have not traditionally taken up the recorder.
I have appreciated the nimble response of the ARS to the recent pandemic—a clear indication of the health and vitality of this organization. We must continue to support the vitality of our local chapters and to be responsive as conditions change. As an amateur musician I am aware of how valuable our ARS on-line resources are to our members. I look forward to supporting this function. You can rely on me to bring my amateur’s enthusiasm and perspective to our board work and to contribute my knowledge of best practices for boards and nonprofits.
