Linda Mather's lifetime of civic engagement, education, and facilitation
Linda Mather
Terwilliger Plaza Member, Board Chair
I have so many questions to ask, but let’s start with your journey to Terwilliger.
I spent 74 years of my life in New Jersey. My husband Don is the Oregonian. When we started to think about downsizing, we began to look at Oregon. We wanted to be downtown, didn’t want to rely on the car, and we knew we didn’t want a house. And I also wanted to see this mythical mountain. All my previous visits were in February where people would point to this cloud bank and say, “see – that’s Mount Hood.”
We had been looking at continuing care retirement communities in New Jersey, so we were familiar with the model. When we came upon Terwilliger Plaza we arranged a visit and the opportunity to stay a few nights. I didn’t get much past the lobby and the elevator when I felt that it was right. There is a buzz in the lobby – and in the elevator. People talk to you. Coming from New Jersey and New York I’m not used to such friendliness. They showed us an apartment with a view of the mythical mountain – and we bought it. Originally, we thought we would spend six months in New Jersey and six months in Portland. We put our house on the market and within two weeks, it sold. Decision made. We moved full-time to Terwilliger in 2014.
You spent almost three decades as an educator. Can you walk us through that timeline?
I received my B.A. in English from Marymount Manhattan College, an M.A. in English Literature from Purdue University, and my Ed.D. in Education Leadership from the University of Pennsylvania. For the next 28 years, I taught English, starting out at Ridgewood High School, and then went to Cherry Hill High School and finished up at Rowan University where I taught for twelve years. From there, I served for a decade at the New Jersey Department of Higher Education as an Associate Director, and then, as the Interim Dean at the School of the Arts and Communication at William Paterson University for a year.
Your involvement with the League of Women Voters over the past fifty years is fascinating and launched a parallel career in moderating civic discourse. Can you talk more about that?
Yes. I’ve been a member of the League of Women Voters since 1972. While I was drawn to the mission: empowering voters and defending democracy, I also joined because at that time, I wanted to meet interesting women. Soon after, I was asked to be the president of the Princeton, New Jersey chapter and served for 2-terms, which was 4-years. When I stepped back from the operational side of the board, I continued to moderate the political forums sponsored by the League, which in New Jersey means 4 to 5 programs a season.
And from there, you became involved with the Forum Institute for Public Policy. How did that opportunity present itself?
The Forum Institute for Public Policy started in the mid-nineties with a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation as a program within the League of Women Voters. The premise was that there were many changes happening in healthcare, and legislators needed the opportunity to meet and discuss issues and ask what might be considered dumb questions, knowing that they wouldn’t be in the headlines the next day. They needed a private space – and these sessions provided a confidential environment. By invitation, members from the Executive Branch of the New Jersey Legislature engaged in these policy discussions and had the opportunity for informal interaction with their colleagues, resulting in mutual trust and collaboration.
As the program expanded, I became President and Founding Executive Officer, while also continuing to moderate the sessions. Each forum was incredibly dynamic. Typically, there were 4-6 a year and were documented with comprehensive issue briefs, currently available at the New Jersey State Library. The program, which ran until 2007, even spawned the State Forum Partnership Program and was replicated in five other states.
During this time, you also established a consulting practice that focused on process facilitation, how to run effective meetings, which continued to build upon your expertise.
Yes. My consulting work started with training non-profit boards; launching from a conference of the same topic that began at the Newark YMCA. After a couple of years, the YMCA received funding to expand the program. I first became involved as a volunteer trainer and then, I came on as an employee and spent 2 to 3 years training non-profit boards, which overlapped with my time at the Forum Institute program.
Then in 2001, you were certified by the International Association of Facilitators. How did this expand your consultancy?
Once I became certified as an assessor by the International Association of Facilitators, I began to work globally, travelling to South Africa, Turkey, Sweden, Australia, and New Zealand as a consultant to certify individuals in the facilitation process. It was one of the best experiences I had professionally. It integrated my teaching background and all the work I had done with the League of Women Voters and the Forum Institute into competency-based techniques to bring people together to achieve a goal, whether it was a business developing a project or a non-profit engaged in strategic planning. I ran my consultancy for twenty years.
It seems the common thread in the intersecting pathways of your career has been engagement, and in particular civil discourse, launched in many ways by volunteerism.
Absolutely. Higher education, non-profit organizations, civil discourse, and politics are all elements that have influenced my professional journey. Many of the critical junctures within my career however began through volunteerism. When you are active in an organization, you’re involved, and opportunities present themselves. And one of the things I have learned with many organizations is that the best way to get involved is to serve on the board.
Perfect segue to talk about your role as Board Chair at Terwilliger Plaza – what was the reasoning for accepting this position?
It’s the right thing at the right time for me. I feel very lucky in that I am contributing to my home. What I have inherited is such a strong foundation, serving alongside ten other members who are so committed, especially the outside board members. Their integrity of character is exceptional, and they are willing to live their values through their board service.
I have eighteen months left in my term, and in the spirit of Lesta Hoel, the Founding Chair of the Terwilliger Plaza Board, I want to leave Terwilliger stronger than when I first began as Board Chair. I hope that one day I might have the opportunity to meet Lesta so that I can thank her for her vision. What a strong woman whose legacy is Terwilliger Plaza and what she provided single women at that time; the ability to take care of themselves and to provide for themselves throughout their lifespan. This heritage of independence and self-determination now extends to the entire Terwilliger community, defining how we will live this next phase of our lives. There is an understanding and acceptance of what we are all facing together, making deliberate choices, and as a community continuing to strengthen the foundation of Terwilliger Plaza.
Which brings us back to community, where we first began this conversation.
Exactly. A Member here at Terwilliger once said to me, “you come for the view – and you stay for the people.” It’s the truth.
Learn more about Linda Mather and the dynamics of the Terwilliger Plaza Board with a recent discussion between her and Terwilliger CEO/President Bob Johnson.