Alicia Oberman joins Leading Edge as Vice President, Leading Places to Serve. Before Boardified was acquired by Leading Edge, she was Founder & Chief Experience Officer of Boardified. Alicia deeply understands the challenges of volunteer leaders and those who work alongside them. She is committed to meaningfully engaging with leaders in what she calls their “extra, extra time” (i.e., the time they spend to further develop themselves in their volunteer roles). She encourages everyone she works with to seek a state of “inspired excellence,” recognizing that the most successful leaders are viscerally inspired by their work and take ownership and pride in how they approach all of their commitments. (Read her full bio here.)

Here are some Q&As to help you get to know Alicia:

What does a “great place to work” mean to you?

Working alongside teammates who are passionate and inspired by the work we do together, and who also enjoy and are energized by our journey together.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

“Every day is a new opportunity to lead.” — Robert Bank

What’s your favorite place to travel?

Hands down, literally anywhere in Italy. I know it is a cliche answer, but between the food, the wine, the people, the history, the beauty, it never disappoints.

If you could take a week off from your regular life to immerse yourself in learning something new, what would it be?

Creative writing. I am a lawyer by training which means my writing is very logical and linear. I would love the time and luxury to think about words, meaning, and structure differently.

What is something you have accomplished as an adult that your younger self would be proud of?

During COVID I trained for and ran a half-marathon with one of my daughters. I HATED endurance running as an athlete when I was younger. I did anything I could not to run, especially the annual mile during PE. I was always last, or pretty close. It was agonizing and I dreaded it. But during COVID, I really needed a goal and I needed something to keep me sane. Turns out, running it was. My younger self would never have believed it.

What’s a work lesson you’ve had to learn the hard way?

Delegate and ask for help. Try, and it is very difficult and often not possible especially in the nonprofit space where resources are more limited, but still try to spend as much time as possible doing what you are uniquely suited to do. I know this is a tall ask in this field, where we are all expected to do everything all at once. However, if you can find a way to map the assets and expertise of your team (both professional and volunteer) and really try to divide and conquer according to what each does best, the whole system will be more effective and efficient. It does mean giving up some level of control and establishing a great deal of trust, but it is the right thing to do for the work and the organization.