C4C has new president

The local community-building nonprofit Citizens4Community (C4C) last week installed Jane Paxson as president of its board of directors. Paxson succeeds founding President Robyn Holdman, who has led C4C since its beginnings in 2015.

“In my many years of working with nonprofits, I’ve rarely seen a volunteer so passionate and dedicated as Robyn,” said C4C Executive Director Linda Cline. “Her contribution to this organization and this community are immeasurable. She has provided a strong foundation for Jane to continue to build upon.”

During Holdman’s tenure as board president, C4C has enjoyed steady growth and increasing community involvement. The nonprofit has hosted dozens of local celebrations, a monthly Let’s Talk discussion series, and many workshops on topics including bridging political divides and effective communication and collaboration.

C4C collaborative projects have included the Sisters Country Civility Project, the Class of 2020/2021 senior street banner projects, and the Community Visioning Quilt project. C4C continues to play a leadership role in the Sisters Country Vision effort.

“The civility project remains the cornerstone for C4C’s community building work,” Holdman said. “I have found it very rewarding to work with others to offer tools and opportunities to respectfully seek, hear and acknowledge the diverse voices within Sisters Country.”

As president of C4C, Holdman also fostered creation of the Sisters Community Builders group and the recently launched Sisters Community Website. Likewise, Holdman last year led C4C’s community-guided strategic planning process and the pivotal hiring in December of Cline as C4C’s first paid staff member.

Paxson joined the C4C board in 2018. She taught elementary school for the Beaverton School District for 24 years before retiring and moving to Sisters in 2014. “I am deeply honored to be elected President of C4C,” she said. “As a lifelong learner, I’m excited to grow along with this organization.”

Paxson holds a degree in education from Portland State University as well as a Master of Education Administration from Lewis and Clark College. She assumes the position of board president after serving as vice president for C4C since early 2019.

To learn more about C4C, visit www.citizens4community.org or contact Linda Cline at [email protected]