Joan Cole Duffell with Director RJ McHatton
It was a very warm day. I was visiting the Committee for Children headquarters in downtown Seattle to interview their CEO, Joan Cole Duffell, for the Puget Sound Business Journal video. Committee for Children was a finalist for the annual “Best Workplaces of Washington” award in the Non-Profit Category. I was immediately impressed with Joan. She was so passionate about the mission and the core values of their organization. Committee for Children has some incredible numbers. They have been around since the 1970s. There are over 25,000 schools in over 25 countries that are using their curriculum. They create curriculum that helps kids deal with issues like sexual abuse, poverty, learning disabilities, and bullying. Joan talked about how her team works hard to be nice to each other. She said that they use the techniques in their curriculum as a baseline example to help nurture a positive best workplace. That day they were having a pot luck lunch where each person was to bring a meal indicative of their heritage. Italians brought Italian food, French people brought French food, Hispanics, Asians, and Irish brought food from their culture, too. I was moved by my interview with Joan. I think I am very lucky to be introduced to such great organizations like the Committee for Children. I think everyone should learn more about their vision and mission. To learn more go to www.cfchildren.org