Humbling

I took multiple tries at this. And at various times of the day and on various devices. It was a struggle.

photo by Bethanie Hines Photography. Candid portrait of jdc, chin sitting in hands, blue denim blouse ...

Receiving is not one of my gifts. It feels like attention.  Most of my life I have been the only (with all my multiplicities) so more attention is not something I typically seek.  I dedicated energy to practicing receiving in 2021-2022 and then 2023 threw me for a loop.  So, when Corey Newhouse, Kim Leonard and Madeline Brandt asked if I was willing to be nominated for the AEA Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Evaluation Practice Award I received it (see what I did there) as a sign that the Universe was inviting me to return to practice.  

Apparently I am “good with words” for things and people other than myself.  That said, in the letters of recommendation folks captured intentions and sentiments exceeding my aspirations:

• She believes the act of inquiry is one of power and responsibility and necessitates radical agency, authorship, learning and collective care.

• Many consultant practitioners find flaws or frustrations in historical practice, but prefer to work around the edges to question it. But Jara is different. Jara shows us that we are all practicing old habits or new ones, and either maintaining a system encrusted in the past, or birthing the future. 

• She has freed us, and countless others, from unhelpful, long-held beliefs and behaviors, and from the notion that we cannot meaningfully change systems within the course of our careers.

• Jara intentionally does not provide answers or solutions, instead encouraging us to step up and into our power. She names difficult truths and helps us feel and think. 

• In every engagement, whether working with a client partner  or operating at a field-building level, Jara brings an invitation to practice, play, and prototype– with the goal of progress, not perfection (note that she rarely uses that word). 

I will continue to be as I am inviting others to be their most authentic selves as long as deemed beneficial to the whole and the world I wish to live in and be part of...where equity, justice, liberation and ultimately freedom are the norm for us all. 

I don’t know how to fully convey the feelings that the process and the recognition have stirred within me. 

Deeply humbled.  Appreciation to all I have met over this 25+ as you each contributed to this version of me as I am ever evolving.  None of this happens in isolation.