The Board of Directors is excited to welcome the second Executive Director in Rain City Rock Camp history, Crystal White! Crystal brings a wealth of knowledge—over 15 years of experience—as an organizer, facilitator, and leader in youth-serving, education, arts, and community-based organizations.
Hailing from DC and Ohio, Crystal is a first-gen college graduate, long-time rock camp leader, and a community-based organizer. She is a co-founder of organizational consulting firm Co-Lab Consulting. A rock camp leader through and through, she co-founded Girls Rock! DC and also served on the Board of the Girls Rock Camp Alliance (GRCA) as co-chair of the Shifting Power Committee.
Throughout her interviews, it was very apparent that Crystal rocks it like she talks it. She works to center those most impacted by systemic oppression and believes the process of social change holds an opportunity to live out our greatest values. She has genuine curiosity for personal growth and thrives in accountable, vulnerable, collaborative professional relationships. She really knows rock camp culture. These are just some of the many reasons why we believe in Crystal and her ability to lead our community through this time of change and beyond!
When we set out to hire the next Executive Director, we took seriously the responsibility of this task and the importance of this role. A collaborative transition team of board members, staff, and the community was formed to lead the search. Feedback was garnered from staff, the board, our youth, and the community to determine core competencies, priorities, and what the organization needs to keep growing. We had amazing guidance from our hiring consultant, Makeba Greene, who really helped us through the process. A screening team was formed to review and rate resumes based on the core competencies and priorities that were identified, an interview team then screened candidates through phone interviews, and our final round of interviews over Zoom helped in determining our next executive director. The staff, board and members of our Amplified Teen Voices group all participated in that effort.
We offer enormous gratitude to the transition team for their heavy lifting and leadership; the creative and resilient staff and volunteers for organizing a successful virtual summer camp through this transition period; the youth who participated in interviews; and Makeba for her ongoing support. A special thank you to Beth O’Connor and dani crivello-chang for stepping into acting interim director roles to support staff and keep RCRC running smoothly during this transition.
Most importantly, we thank YOU, the RCRC community, for contributing your voice and offering support every step of the way. This collaborative process would not have been possible without you!
We are so excited and proud as we head into this next chapter in RCRC history. We invite you to join us in warmly welcoming Crystal and joining the celebration at a special virtual meet-and-greet event on Wednesday, September 1st at 7pm PT on Zoom. More details will be announced soon.
And if you are able, you can show your support for this exciting new journey with Crystal by giving to Rain City Rock Camp today! Every dollar counts as we look forward to building an even more joyful, equitable, and empowering camp in the years to come.
In the Key of Change,
RCRC Board of Directors
