02 Jun Priorities and my winding path

I want to share something with you that is both personal and professional, and very important to me.

As a part of my committment to advancing sustainability in Austin, I applied for the City of Austin’s newly created Chief Sustainablilty Officer post. After a national search I was selected as one of the 6 semi-finalist candidates.
   
Earlier this week I became clear that with my new family situation – newly married (one week back from our honeymoon), adopting my husband’s precious 5-year old son and having my first (and probably only) baby in November – that I actually do not want the TOP job as Chief Sustainability Officer at this time. I want the person who gets this job to give it the 100% full attention it deserves, which I am not available to do at this particular juncture. If this had come together last year, or next year, things might be different, but for now, I am choosing to honor what’s so.  I am committed to doing everything I take on with excellence and I do not feel like could both start my new family and start this huge job at the same time. 

I just completed my panel interview with the Assistant City Managers during which I made a pitch to them that I want to be on the launch team, if possible (especially, but not exclusively, if they choose to hire someone from outside Austin). In a few months I intend to take time to have my baby and put my full attention on raising my family. I am still totally committed to advancing sustainability in Austin it is my intention to re-engage as a part of the City’s sustainability team as soon as it is practical and feels right. I consider myself, and many of you reading this "on the team" and that will mean playing different roles at different times. In case you are wondering, I will be keeping the services of the Austin EcoNetwork going while tending to my family. 

You may be sympathetic, or not understand, or a you may be in a variety of other places. To me this feels like the most holistic, realistic and powerful approach that will allow me to give my best to each thing I’m doing and not feel guilty about my inability to give more to my family or my job.

I hope you will be supportive of my choice as well as supportive of the process to hire the best leadership for this brand-new position.
Please join me in the audience Thursday at the Austin Energy building at 2:30 pm and/or 5:00 pm as we hear from the finalists, ask them questions, and share our feedback with the hiring team.

Sustainability is a process, not a destination. We will not "reach" sustainability in the next six months, six years or maybe six decades. The great news is that there are bunch of people passionate about advancing our society toward sustainability and we have some of the world’s leading thinkers and doers right here in Austin. Together we will shift, experiment, research, build, and conscientiously work toward a society that works for all living beings of all species for all time.

Respectfully,

Brandi Clark Burton
Chief Inspiration Officer, EcoNetworking
Founder, www.AustinEcoNetwork.com
brandi.m.clark@gmail.com
512-939-9776

Twitter, LinkedIn: brandi_clark
facebook.com/brandi.clark.burton