INELDA Update – JANUARY 2022
by Henry Fersko-Weiss
NEW INELDA LOGO | CEO | 2021 TRAINEES | DEI | STAFF UPDATE
INELDA Launches Logo Kit for Doulas
We are pleased to announce that INELDA is launching a logo kit for all employee, contractor, and INELDA-trained doula use. Our logo is a symbol of our credibility, integrity, and professionalism. We encourage you to stand with INELDA and to use our logos in your communications wherever appropriate.
There are many different applications and environments where you may want to include our logo: your website and social media pages, your letterhead and business card, your client presentations, and more. This is why we’ve created our logo kit, which includes the new rectangular logo we launched last fall and two additional configurations—a version that is square-stacked and a round version. These additional configurations will help you create the most professional representation, allowing you to choose the logo option that displays optimally in each environment.
Later this month, we will publish our brand and logo usage guidelines, which will include one-color versions of these logos, and various file formats (JPGs, PNGs, EPSs, PDFs) of all logo configurations. This document will include instructions and suggestions for use in different environments, since what looks best on a business card isn’t always what looks best on social media or on a brochure.
We are also pleased to announce that we will launch a new doula PowerPoint presentation this month, to be found in the member section of our website. The new presentation will feature an updated look and feel similar to the newly launched website, and include the new logo. With these updates, people who view or attend your presentations will find a congruent experience when they visit the INELDA website to learn more about our organization and offerings.
And, before the end of January, we will provide a branded virtual background for your use in Zoom and other virtual meeting environments. And over the course of the first quarter of 2022, we will publish a press kit and other materials to support your local doula marketing and outreach efforts.
We are proud of INELDA-trained doulas. We will continue to create tools that will support your professional work and business growth. Please let Cloud, INELDA’s director of marketing and communications, know what materials would strengthen your doula work at [email protected]
Welcoming Doug Simpson to His Role as CEO
We are pleased to announce that INELDA’s board of trustees has named Doug Simpson as its new chief executive officer. The leadership role was made available when INELDA cofounder and executive director Henry Fersko-Weiss announced his decision to step out of his full-time role at the end of the year. Doug was previously INELDA’s director of operations and finance and has been with the organization since 2019. He was chosen from a field of 200 applicants.
The board unanimously selected Doug for the position, basing the decision on his past performance with INELDA, his demonstrated heart for the organization and its mission, and how his leadership has supported INELDA’s transition, vision, and teams. “We feel Doug embraces the essential elements of a solid leader for INELDA while also remaining humble in continued learning and growing in a leadership role with the organization,” the board’s internal announcement reads.
Doug’s background includes 25 years of business operations experience, having held leadership positions in global brands. He brings INELDA a balance of insightful strategic sensibility, exceptional communication skills, and rich analytical business acumen. His passion for team development and employee satisfaction is a unifying thread woven through his career.
“At my core, I believe that the development and engagement of the team is what drives an organization forward and allows us to achieve our goals,” Doug says. “I am eager to reflect on the history of INELDA while leading an outstanding team of individuals forward to deliver the organization’s mission and serving the board of trustees.”
Wrap-up of 2021 INELDA Trainings
Welcome to the 959 INELDA-trained end-of-life doulas who joined our community in 2021. We look forward to seeing the work that they bring to their communities throughout the United States and around the globe. Students joined us from 19 countries including Ecuador, Malaysia, Romania, Singapore, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, to name a few. While we all had hoped to be able to meet together in person this year, we were excited to continue to deliver our training online. This has allowed individuals who in the past may have been unable to travel to a training to have access to our online instruction. We are thankful for the hard work of our instructors and staff—and excited for the upcoming 2022 trainings!
INELDA Staff Continues Work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
This February, INELDA staff will continue our DEI work by engaging in Multicultural Competency, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion workshops cofacilitated by Deborah A. Wilcox, PhD, MPA, and José Reyes, Ed. These monthly workshops will provide team members with knowledge, awareness, and skills to effectively address challenging issues that arise in trainings or other classes, in internal interactions with each other, and with outside providers and public inquiries in a way that honors the values of equity and inclusivity. They will also provide a multiculturally competent pedagogical approach and framework for the development of further culturally competent educational offerings.
Staff Updates
Lydia Callender joined us this week as a program development coordinator. With over 10 years of experience in nonprofit and home care administration, Lydia has always been passionate about serving others. INELDA allows her to continue to serve those in need and their loved ones in a way that is meaningful and empowering during a time in life when all may seem lost.
Her hobbies include watching Jeopardy! (she misses Alex), taking weekend trips to the beach, and spending time with friends and family. She holds a BA in international criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. Originally from New York, she currently lives in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with her husband of 15 years, their 14-year-old daughter, and a 4-year-old Maltese dog named Chi-Chi.