Bill Womack a trustee first Essay Example For Students

Bill Womack: a trustee first Essay Bill Womack is used to being a first. As a person of color in the largely white profession of child psychiatry, hes accustomed to breaking new ground. Still, he wasnt quite prepared for the overwhelming isolation he felt when he joined the board of directors at Seattles A Contemporary Theatre in 1987. I had no formal background in the theatre, he explains. I wasnt rich. And I happened to be at that time the only board member of color. There were many times I felt very, very alone. True to his profession, Womack is not a man who has trouble expressing his emotions. As he recounts his five-plus years of service at ACT, he leans heavily on the verb to feel. I felt at the beginning like I didnt know what my niche would be, he recalls. He joined the board at the behest of managing director Susan Trapnell Moritz, whom he had met while taking dance classes at a local studio with his family. Moritz was impressed with Womacks focus and clear-headedness. Womack in turn was impressed with the dedication of his new fellow board members, but I didnt know them very well, and for a while I didnt feel I was doing anything of import. Dealing directly with race   Womack attended meetings diligently, but resisted assuming a leadership role on the board. After a while, I was beginning to wonder if this was the best way for me to be spending my time. I wasnt unhappy, but I didnt feel I was using my own skills and talents fully. The turning point came when Moritz asked Womack if he would be willing to chair an annual croquet tournament that ACT sponsored. I said to my friends: Can you imagine a black man dressed in whites running around playing croquet? Its absolutely silly. But I did it, and it was fun, Womack recounts. Then, in the spring of 93, Moritz told him about Theatre Communications Groups diversity workshop in Los Angeles, and in Womacks words snookered him into appearing on a panel there. That gave me the opportunity to think about what my feeling had been over the past four or five years, he says. Looking back, he realized there were some things both he and the other board members could have done to help him adjust to the role of first board member of color. First, he could have been more resolved about what he wanted to contribute and accomplish. At the time he was worried about whether hed have enough money, whether he would make friends on the board and whether other people would see what he had to offer. If he had to do it over now, he says, hed worry less, and be more forthright about telling people what he wanted to do. At the same time, it would have been helpful if someone on the board had asked. Boards need to ask prospects where they think they fit in, not wait for them to speak up, Womack emphasizes. And a board thats diversifying needs to deal directly and personally with the issue of race. Womack admits that his feelings about being the first person of color on the board were complicated, but, he says, I never told Susan; I never told another board member about it; and nobody ever asked me. Boards need to connect with the new people they bring in. Without that connection, without a sense of community, theyre going to lose them. On our board, nobody ever talks about these things. Nobody says, This is the first time weve done this; how is it working for you? Are you doing okay?' .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e , .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .postImageUrl , .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .centered-text-area { min-height: 80px; position: relative; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e , .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e:hover , .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e:visited , .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e:active { border:0!important; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .clearfix:after { content: ""; display: table; clear: both; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e { display: block; transition: background-color 250ms; webkit-transition: background-color 250ms; width: 100%; opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #95A5A6; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e:active , .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e:hover { opacity: 1; transition: opacity 250ms; webkit-transition: opacity 250ms; background-color: #2C3E50; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .centered-text-area { width: 100%; position: relative ; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .ctaText { border-bottom: 0 solid #fff; color: #2980B9; font-size: 16px; font-weight: bold; margin: 0; padding: 0; text-decoration: underline; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .postTitle { color: #FFFFFF; font-size: 16px; font-weight: 600; margin: 0; padding: 0; width: 100%; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .ctaButton { background-color: #7F8C8D!important; color: #2980B9; border: none; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: none; font-size: 14px; font-weight: bold; line-height: 26px; moz-border-radius: 3px; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-shadow: none; width: 80px; min-height: 80px; background: url(https://artscolumbia.org/wp-content/plugins/intelly-related-posts/assets/images/simple-arrow.png)no-repeat; position: absolute; right: 0; top: 0; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e:hover .ctaButton { background-color: #34495E!important; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .centered-text { display: table; height: 80px; padding-left : 18px; top: 0; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e-content { display: table-cell; margin: 0; padding: 0; padding-right: 108px; position: relative; vertical-align: middle; width: 100%; } .u0f1ce24b360bddbf225ba096e163a28e:after { content: ""; display: block; clear: both; } READ: Bathsheba and Gabriel-Far from the Madding Crowd EssayNow heading into his sixth year on the board, Womack is definitely doing okay. He has become chair of ACTs diversity task force, and in part, due to his own recruiting efforts, hes no longer the theatres only board member of color. Understanding the world   But hes still concerned with the slow pace at which theatre boards and staffs change. At a time when multicultural and crosscultural casting have become commonplace on stage, the behind-the-scenes picture remains stubbornly monochromatic. Why? I guess in a broad sense, its racist, Womack says, but I dont see it in such stark terms. I see it as more personal: We only know a certain community of people and were not really interested in learning about other people. Most of us feel that if we extend ourselves in that way were going to lose somethingtime or energy. You really have to work at having a diversity of friendships, and very few of us do. Still, change happens, and Womack is very excited to be a part of it at ACT. He has much praise for artistic director Jeff Steitzer, and for his ability to articulate the theatres artistic vision. ACT is very committed to contemporary playwrights and new plays, Womack says. (Indeed, while most Seattle theatres have backed away from new works, ACT presented one American and two world premieres this season.) Because I like theatre so much, its terribly exciting to have an opportunity to have input into what the theatre is. Moritz describes her colleague as a fantastic theatre fan a characterization Womack doesnt reject. As he explains it, Professionally, I do a lot of work with fantasy and images. And Ive always enjoyed using those as a way of understanding the world. Theatre to me like books has always been an important way of understanding the human condition.