The holidays are right around the corner, and we invite you to celebrate with us by welcoming three new members who are joining us in our mission of collective giving. We hope you enjoy meeting them! We asked them three basic questions – "How did you find out about Impact Austin and what inspired you to join, What is your short and sweet biography, and optionally, What do you think might surprise or interest your new friends about you?" Here are their answers!
Meet Dinah Dinwiddie, and say hello the next time you see her!
“I have a second home in San Antonio, and my sister there invited me to join Impact San Antonio. It was such a rewarding experience I wanted to try it out in my hometown.”
“I moved to Austin in the 80s to go to school, and with the exception of a few years spent in Washington DC, I have lived and worked here.”
“I am a writer, having published almost fifty novels under the name of Julia London. People assume I am retired because I work at home when in reality, I am just wearing my pajamas to work. I have a very rewarding job."
Meet Linda Fernandes, and say, “Hi!” the next time you see her.
“I was introduced to Impact Austin by a friend, Dipti Pandey, who invited me over for a coffee/meet and greet hosted by her. I have been involved in some volunteering activities through my workplace and where I lived before (outside of Texas). Impact Austin came across as a genuinely caring and community-centric organization when I learned more about it. I am really excited to be a member of non-profit run and funded by the women of my city.”
“I am a software engineer by profession and work for Tableau Software Inc. in downtown Austin. I live with my husband, Roystein, in the Northwest Austin area. We are eagerly looking forward to our first baby due at the end of December!"
"I will not be able to devote a lot of time to the organization's activities in the early part of the coming year, but will try to be present in any small ways I can.”
Meet Katie Heiselberg and say hello the next time you see her.
"I first heard about Impact Austin six years ago while looking at real estate with Marissa Radack, who was on a grant committee at the time. I didn't even live in Texas then, and it would be several years until I did. Since moving to Austin in late 2015, I’ve been looking for more local ways for my business to give back. I’ve also had the fortune of making some wonderful friends here, a few of whom invited me to coffees this Fall. It was finally the right place and right time so the decision was easy!"
"I’m a freelance graphic designer with endless curiosity. (Great for research, trivia night and hobbies... really bad for time management!) I love learning and trying new things and will take a class on anything. (Currently: watercolor and ballet.) I suppose it’s fitting that one of my passion points is education! I’m also ‘Mommy’ to an effervescent, curly-headed 4-year old, Isabel, and a gentle, sneezy beagle named Buddy.”
"I enjoy languages! The happenstance (or as he would say, the ‘great fortune’) of marrying a Dane inspired me to become conversational in Danish. From living abroad in Moscow and Hong Kong, I know enough Russian to know when someone’s talking about me, but only a teeny bit of “taxicab Cantonese”. And somewhere, in the deep recesses of my brain, is all the Spanish I knew as an undergrad at UT, where it was my minor."
New Member Highlights are a series of posts that introduce you to some of our new members who have joined for FY2018. If you are interested in being highlighted, please contact us and your Impact Austin blog editor will respond to you with the details!
Send your email to contact@impactaustin.org and be sure to indicate that it is a New Member Highlight Inquiry.
