August 2019 – Lauriane Lebrun, Marketing & Communications Coordinator
The Lexian E-News team is pleased to continue our Board Member Spotlight series by introducing Pete Ventura, Immediate Past Treasurer of the Oyster River Youth Association! Pete stepped down from the Board just recently, in late June.
Pete is a public accountant and also volunteers as Treasurer of the James W. Foley Legacy Foundation. He first came to ORYA when his children were young and he was searching for a way to give back to the community. “I attended my first meeting in March of 2007 and was asked back for the April meeting to join the Board. What came next put everything in motion,” Pete recalls. “The meeting had a large audience with the then-current-President stating she was stepping down. None of the members present or ORYA parents wanted anything to do with it. I told one of the Board Members sitting next to me that I would be the President, and of course he nominated me. The only issue was, I wasn’t even a Board Member yet. They voted me on the Board and then immediately voted me in as President. I served as President for roughly six years, followed by a few years as a regular Board Member, then as Treasurer.”
After more than a decade of Board service, Pete has been able to watch the organization grow and overcome “some large bumps in the road.” His advice for people considering getting involved with a nonprofit board? Be prepared to really contribute. As Pete has observed, individuals sometimes join a volunteer board “with great intent, but end up doing very little. Board involvement does require active participation – not just ideas – from all members. When there’s an active group, there are a lot of things that get accomplished, but when the board makeup changes to less-than-active, things become stagnant. Also, you should know what you’re getting into before joining the board. Ask questions of the existing board members.”
Regarding the ORYA’s collaboration with Lexian, Pete says he appreciates being able to rely on a team that “provides a top-notch level of service in accounting and in assisting ORYA with its operations. Lexian’s proactive approach has assisted the Board in making timely, informed decisions. Having referred their company multiple times, my general statement to other clients is that they are very organized, timely, and have never missed a deadline. I rank them top in accounting services, and have no issues or concerns in recommending them to my clients.”
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