Baltimore Sun business reporter Hanah Cho interviews new CRS President and CEO Carolyn Woo. Here are a few excerpts:
Do you have a focus for your first year?
I don’t have experience in the core operations of the organization, so what I bring is [attention] to the strategic viability and strategic vitality of the organization. While everyone is working hard every day, my role is to make sure that the direction we’re going is viable and vibrant.
I’m not doing the day-to-day work, working on a sanitation project or advising communities on water issues. My role is to create an environment that allows other people’s work to add up in a good way.
What are some challenges facing CRS, especially during this tough economic time?
I would say like all agencies in economically challenging times, there are two things you want to attend to: You want to make sure the work you do is excellent and relevant. … The organizations that survive, whether you’re a business or not-for-profit, the key is, are you best at what you do and is what you do relevant? If you are, you will come through the difficult times.
The second piece of this is you need to diversify your sources of resources so you’re not tied up with one major source. … What we need to do is develop more options for funding and options for expertise.
Read the rest of the interview.
