[Kzyxtalk] tony Novelli_KZYX candidate statement_2015

[King Collins]

Tony Novelli 2015 Board Candidate Statement
Tony Novelli – District 2 (Ukiah)

I moved to this region 5 years ago and have settled into making this my home. I live with my partner of 4 years and with whom I am recently engaged. After moving here from Tucson, AZ I have had withdrawals from living within a rich community fabric to one more guarded. I have struggled to find the kinds of community connections I need to offer myself in service. I feel this opportunity could be a step in that direction. I am also passionate about low-power radio!

I am a bright and articulate community activist with a deep emphasis on collaborative solutions. I have worked and studied with many luminaries in the sustainability profession, and have developed my spiritual side with friends and mentors like Joanna Macy. I am creative, resourceful, professional, take the responsibility of serving community very seriously though know it still needs to be fun!

I sat for 2-3 years on the Community Advisory Board for KXCI Community Radio in Tucson (kxci.org), and am close friends with several volunteer deejays, program hosts, and staff members at that station. I think I understand the context within which community radio exists, and many of its challenges and opportunities. I see radio as a great potential force for building community. 

I currently work 2-3 jobs – the day job helping run the e-commerce side of realgoods.com in Hopland, and I also do freelance graphic design for area clients. I am a co-director of a Tucson-based nonprofit called the Development Center for Appropriate Technology (www.dcat.net) where I do work at the interface of sustainability and construction systems. I am a certified permaculture designer with a teaching certificate from the Regenerative Design Institute, and have also completed RDI’s Ecology of Leadership training, as well as the Rockwood Leadership Development training.

Fundraising is the centerpiece of any nonprofit, and every member of the board, staff, and volunteers needs to understand its importance. As a board member I would gladly help with grant writing and general support. I am not a finance person, though in the past have been the primary grant writer for my nonprofit, including development and management of project budgets.