Jennifer's Personal Announcement

My Dearest Correspondents,

It is with bittersweet tears mixed with anticipation and excitement that I announce that on November 15th, I will be leaving World Pulse to start working full-time with The Press Institute.

When Jensine came to me in 2008 and said she wanted a network of grassroots correspondents reporting on the frontlines of social change on PulseWire, I remember thinking, \"uh-huh. How?\" PulseWire was barely out of its infancy, the world did not yet know who we were, and our community was fledgling. But Jensine, like all revolutionary visionaries, is not one to sit idle. She has a vision and is impatient to make it happen!

From the first partner call with Gail Straub of The Empowerment Institute, Voices of Our Future has quite literally had legs of it own. A simple request for donated mentoring sessions as a final award turned into one-on-one mentoring for each and every one of you. An introductory call with Cristi Hegranes from The Press Institute turned into a robust curriculum that will be further shaped and refined for future years. And a chance meeting with a board member of The OpEd Project brought the art of public debate into the program.

Then, there is you. How do I even describe the irrevocable impact you have had on me, World Pulse, and our community? You are trailblazers in a field of social injustices. As Jackie might say, you are the world's chamomile in stressful and turbulent times. You are wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, friends, lovers, activists, writers, visionaries, doers, and healers. You are woman.

Although I am leaving World Pulse, I am not leaving you. And although I will not be directing Voices of Our Future next year, I want you to feel confidence in the fact that if you choose, this journey has just begun. I am leaving you in the professional, capable and loving hands of Scott Beck, who embodies gender equality, empowerment, and balance. Scott will be working with graduates of Voices of Our Future to kick off the Global Correspondents Network, a new program of World Pulse.

These past months with all of you have been some of the most incredible, inspiring, and heart-felt months of my life. I feel I have 31 new best friends forever. Thank you for the incredible gifts you have given me through your words.

With love and tenderness,

Jennifer

PS To learn more about my new role and first project with The Press Institute, please visit The Press Institute's site