This week we are excited to announce the arrival of three new board members to the N+T Executive Board. First up: Michele Davis, a Leadership Coach + People Strategy and Organizational Design Consultant — and Bostonian for the past thirty years — specializes in working with leaders to enhance their effectiveness in rapidly growing organizations through individual coaching, group training, and organizational consulting. The following is a conversation between Michele and Kate Gilbert.
You’ve been involved in numerous start-ups and now as a people strategy and organizational design consultant — how do you think your human-centered entrepreneurial experience will support Now + There’s mission?
The core of my work has always been about making connections, understanding what matters to individuals, and building relationships. This begins with curiosity and an openness to other perspectives. I have felt most energized in my work when I am with people and in organizations that are solving problems for others by pushing boundaries, experimenting, and learning from each experience. I feel like my background is really aligned with N+T’s mission and so I’m excited to bring those experiences and learning to my board work.
What’s your favorite Now + There project to date and why?
Nick Cave’s Augment makes me smile just thinking about it. The whimsical nature, bright colors, and pure delight it exuded made me feel like a kid again….carefree and full of possibility. And bringing this feeling through neighborhoods meant so many more people had an unexpected moment of fun brought to their day.
Augment by Nick Cave. Photo by James Prinz courtesy of Jack Shainman Gallery.
There’s a buzz right now about public art. Why do you think it is suddenly so popular in Boston and what can it do for our city, especially as we come out of the pandemic?
Public art feels like another layer to enhance the connectedness of the city. It feels like an opportunity to both honor the neighborhoods and their individual cultures and histories, while also bringing them together. I’ve lived in Boston for almost 30 years and have always walked a lot; however never more than during the pandemic and I wasn’t alone. This period of time has forced us all to slow down, take notice and appreciate more about what matters. In these times when we are hungry for connection and to feel alive after living with so many constraints, art presents the possibility to engage. Boston right now feels hungry to find ways to bring us together on multiple levels and public art is one of those ways.