Inside 16th & L is our bi-weekly blog series showcasing the Independent Sector team here at the corner of 16th and L Streets in Washington, DC. Find out who we are, where we’re from, what we do, and what drives us. This week, Inside 16th & L introduces Lindsay Marcal, our senior associate of networks and member engagement.
Lindsay’s role in her words…
My primary focus is managing our member renewal processes, supporting member engagement efforts, and helping members connect to other teams and initiatives here at IS.
Lindsay is a…
- Life-long learner
- Old friend
- New wife
- Helper
- Sharer
- Cookie connoisseur
- Baby animal lover
Hometown
Columbia, Maryland
How did you end up in your current role at IS? What were you doing before?
Before I came here, I worked for an early education nonprofit called Jumpstart. They work with college students and older adult volunteers to support preschool children from under-resourced communities. I kind of did it all over there—wore many hats. It was a small office and I had been there about five years and was wanting some new challenges, so I found my way over here. I’ve worked and volunteered and interned with nonprofits for years, and I definitely wanted to stay in the sector, and this was a great way to do it and not have to pick a cause.
What’s on your desk or in your workspace?
What’s not on my desk? I have some photos, of course, of friends and family. I have a Downton Abbey page-a-day calendar, which was either a Hanukkah or birthday present. New to my desk are a set of alpaca sticky notes from I Love Books in my husband’s hometown—Delmar, NY. I also have a Calvin and Hobbes print from my aunt, which is a delight to look at. I have two Nats bobble heads. At least one is from one of the Nats games we went to as an IS staff. I have a desk-sized camel from a past colleague—I think it’s from Dubai. It doesn’t need to be fed and watered, luckily. I have a Dr. Seuss coaster, which is part of a larger collection and a growing assortment of buttons from various causes and events.
What are you inspired by right now?
I think I’ve been inspired to see causes that I’ve been involved with—either currently or off and on in the past—mobilizing their constituents and beyond around values that they hold near and dear, and working across divides of different groups to accomplish common goals. For example, I was at Sixth & I a few weeks ago and they had an event to bring together both Jews and Muslims to celebrate holidays that were going on at the same time. The appreciation of both those groups for each other’s holidays and the desire to understand what’s behind those traditions was really great to see live and in-person.
Guilty pleasure
One that comes to mind because I just enjoyed it yesterday was a limited edition banana-flavored Ben & Jerry’s pint called One Love.
Books
- Most recently finished – A Long Way Home by Saroo Brierley. It’s the book that Lion is based on. It’s a really incredible adoption story, to put it mildly.
- Last one started, but unfinished – The Girls. I couldn’t quite get into it.
- Old favorite – One that’s really stuck with me over the years no matter what’s happened is one I read years ago, Miep Gies’ autobiography. She is one of the people who helped hide Anne Frank in Amsterdam and her story is amazing. Obviously, Anne Frank’s is incredible, but to hear from Miep’s perspective everything she did to hide them, and how she didn’t see the bravery of her actions at the time.
Movies
- Last watched at home – So the last I had watched at the time I started thinking about this was Florence Foster Jenkins, but last night I actually watched Midnight in Paris for the first time.
- Last watched in a theater – I think it’s the new Beauty and the Beast. I could blame this on the fact that I married into a really Disney-enthused family, but I also grew up with Disney, and Belle’s doll was always one of my favorite Barbies because she had brown hair.
- Old favorites – It’s a toss-up between Office Space and The Princess Bride.
Random Fact
Lindsay was a heroine for recovering rogue goats that escaped from a summer camp’s farm when she was a counselor-in-training.