First 5 Marin’s executive director reflects on 19 years boosting children
It didn’t take Amy Reisch long to realize she wanted to work with kids. What began as a childhood dream to become a pediatrician or child psychiatrist transformed into a career of helping children and others through nonprofit work.
After serving as co-director of Focus on Women’s Education and Advocacy at the University of Pennsylvania and director of the Jewish Family and Children’s Services’ branch in the Peninsula, among other positions, the San Anselmo resident found her longtime home as the first executive director of San Rafael-based First 5 Marin Children and Families Commission, an independent government agency that serves young children and their families in Marin. Created in 1998, First Marin 5 uses the investment of Proposition 10 funds to promote early childhood development through children’s health, school readiness and community support for families.
Reisch, who was named to the Marin Women’s Hall of Fame this year, will retire from her 19-year post at First 5 Marin at the end of the month.
Q What initially drew you to the job?
A My values around not just equity and inclusion, but justice and humanity, are so central to who I am and what I do. I came into this having been on the nonprofit side seeking funding and support all the time just to stay alive, and here I was in a position to actually be the funder. I had been thinking for many years about how we fund services for people in this country, whether privately or publicly, how inequitable that funding often is, how often it’s not what the recipients are really asking for or need. This was an opportunity to think about creating a different kind of process.
Q What drew you to nonprofit work?
A I wanted to make sure that when I earned a living, it was through my own labor and not on the backs of anybody else. More importantly, I had grown up in a family that emphasized and lived in a way that really demanded that I as a person — which I totally believe for myself — had to be an active contributor to the well-being of all of the people in my community. I chose social work, and social work has a particular perspective historically that was very holistic in its approach to working with people. That’s why I chose it. Working in communities that we in this country have largely ignored or under-resourced was very important to me because I am privileged and I am lucky.
Q What will retirement look like for you?
A I have three grandchildren I am very fond of and would like to spend more time with. I have no doubt that I will be engaged in some way or other in the many essential movements that are emerging and need to be built on, whether it’s getting out to vote, racial equity or making sure the Census is done properly. I would also like to share what I have learned over the years about organizations and community organizing, and some of the expertise I have.
Q What do you want people to think about in this time?
A I would hope that people would have a much better not just intellectual understanding, but gut feel for the enormous inequalities in our society and in particular, the impact of those inequalities on children. Children, to be totally trite, are our future, and if we don’t as a society begin to take seriously — especially those of us who have privilege — how important it is, that all of the people who live here have equitable access to resources and support, our society will stagnate. Going forward, whatever specific things First 5 or anybody in the county do to support children and families, I hope that’s the lens and the understanding that informs the way they do things.
Q What are you proud of?
A Being able to bring many different kinds of people together around a desire to change circumstances and policies. Being able to stay true to my principles and values, and working with people who were willing to share those and to take risks and understand that things might not work, but they would do it anyway, because it seemed like the right thing to do. I couldn’t have done any of it without really wonderful staff, board, commissioners, people in the community or partners. It’s never just one person.