New Sensation with Jacques Livingston, PSU MPA Student and Former AmeriCorps Director, Olympic Peninsula YMCA

Posted on July 16, 2013

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV-QGQVZv0k&w=420&h=315]

Since ELGL is not a big fan of icebreakers and since we would rather not know what animal you want to be, this  feature will serve as a way of introducing new members. While you won’t learn about their favorite animal, you will learn about their ideal Sunday morning, which dead people would they FaceTime with, and which song best describes their life.

Vitals

Name: Jacques LivingstonJacques Livingston

Email: jacques.livingston@gmail.com

Education: Washington State University, Bachelor of Science, Mechanical Engineering; Boston University, Mechanical Engineering; and Portland State University, Master of Public Administration (M.P.A.), Local Government, 2012 – 2014 (expected)

Current Position: Portland State University, MPA, Student

Previous Employment: AmeriCorps Director, Olympic Peninsula YMCA; President, Volunteer Centers of Washington; and Chair, Clallam County Literacy Council

Connect: LinkedIn and Twitter

Background Check

download (1)Most recently I was the AmeriCorps Director of the North Olympic AmeriCorps project for 7 years. In that time I honed my skills in budget analysis, project design and expansion, grantwriting, community partnerships and volunteer recruitment and retention. I grew the program capacity despite the economic downturn from 2 staff and 12 volunteers, to 6 fulltime staff and 42 volunteers. In that time the budget quadrupled in size. I created a fiscally healthy department providing tutoring and mentoring services to 1,800 kids a year on the North Olympic Peninsula.

Additionally I served as the President of the Volunteer Centers of Washington. As an association, the VCW seeks to identify common goals and outcomes that would unify all communities in their efforts to mobilize volunteers and national service members.

I am now pursuing a Masters in Public Administration with a specific focus on city and/or county administration. I am interested in finding ways that the non-profit and government sector can work together in a collaborative framework that capitalizes on the strengths of each sector.

Specialties: Budget Management, Grantwriting, Program Design and Expansion, Governement Contract Management, Volunteer Recruitment and Retention, and Employee Volunteer Leadership Programs.

Q&A

Current Projects

  • I am working with the Fire Marshal’s office in Clark County (WA) to help with some evaluative programming
  • My summer course will entail some systems analysis looking at the organization TriMet.  I find them a fascinating organization because of their ability to expand even during a continued recession

Mentors

  • Peter Goodall – My first boss who taught me how to foster business ethics to promote strong partnerships
  • Dan MacGuire – Former boss that taught me that quality of life can sometimes trump money and status
  • Bill Basl – AmeriCorps National Director – A wonderful mentor that continued to believe in me and nominated me for a wonderful Leadership Academy

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKyhDmVfx40?feature=player_embedded&w=640&h=360]

Most Recent Concert

Churchill – Wonderful folk-rock sounds coming out of Denver these days

Five Favorite Websites

  1. NHL – Love my Canucks!
  2. Amazon – Textbooks!
  3. Netflix
  4. Oregonian
  5. Google

Best Career Accomplishments

I wrote a grant and received stimulus funding to support para educators who had been laid off.  They were able to continue to help students in the classroom and receive training money to attend the local community college and earn their teaching certification.  Total cost to the community was $500 per person.

Favorite TV Show

Currently watching Quantum Leap on Netflix

(Complete the sentence) Before I die I want to……Learn to fly!

Song that best describes your life

“Steady, as she goes” – The Raconteurs

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7aOWIFgIZQ?feature=player_detailpage&w=640&h=360]

Suggest two or three topics for the ELGL annual conference.

  • “Tales of the new City Manager” and
  • “Trends in what cities are looking for in their City Manager”

If you could FaceTime or Skype with three people either dead or alive, who would they be?download

Ideal Sunday Morning

Coffee and the newspaper

Describe the inside of your car.

There a car seat in the back for my 8-year old – Need I say more?

(Complete the sentence) Government is the structure that holds our community together.

(Complete the sentence) ELGL is wicked awesome.

What’s the meaning of life?

42

Questions We Should Have Asked:

Favorite movie or story character: John Crichton.

Are you where you thought you would be 30 years ago? No

15 years ago? No.

1 year ago? No. …… “Steady as she goes”

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