. . . I had been alone in this industry, isolated on an island without networking, education or help.

. . . Nonetheless, my boss encouraged me to participate [in SDA] and I started with chairing the Jobline committee. I found that for all the effort I put into my volunteer duties, I received as much or more back in answers to my own questions, solutions to office quandaries, and ever-increasing knowledge. Through that involvement I got to know several board members who became mentors to me. These inspirational leaders that I admired so much became friends. They became, in my mind, real people, fallible, friendly, and tangible to me in a way I couldn’t have imagined just a few years before.

Renae Howard, CDFA (Seattle member since 2002; excerpt from her “Message to Members,” Portico, November 2005)