I want to tell you about my friend.
His name is Victor Vazquez. He's currently Coastkeeper's assistant controller and grants manager. And if you play your cards right, he could a member of your team.
I met Victor nearly three years ago when I started volunteering at Coastkeeper, first by giving social media presentations. As a communications professional, I understand why I am excited about social media, but Victor's enthusiasm for twitter and Facebook went beyond anything I could fathom. "Who is this guy?" I thought.
Come to find out, he's the man who runs all of our numbers. And he's up for a brainstorm, an afterwork gathering, a laugh or some serious planning on any given day. He's always the first to raise his hand to volunteer, even for early Saturday morning gigs. And I've never seen him kickin' dirt in procrastination. He's what I'd classify as a top-grade, morale-boosting, high-five-givin', creative…accountant. Yes, I did just string those words together.
Even though I won our "who wore it best" Facebook competition, I give Victor huge props for shedding the Southern California car addiction and riding his bike to work. He's a leader.
Unfortunetely, the really sucky news (and I mean sucky) is that Victor's last day with us is the end of January. It means this stellar teammate is a free agent, and I'm highly recommending that you snag him for your team. Check out his LinkedIn profile and This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it directly for his resume. You want to meet him. And if my ramblings aren't enough to convince you, here's a few thoughts from our staff and board.
Megan Baehrens:
Starting on my first day at San Diego Coastkeeper and for more than two years, I spent six to ten hours a day seated just a few feet from Victor. This could have made for lots of lessons in relationship management. More than anything, I learned from Victor what it means to live passionately. Whether seeking out new foods, keeping up with music, embracing his friends' causes or pounding out the daily grind, he "got down to business," in his own words. With a glint in his eye and cocky little smile, Victor is someone you can count on to give a kind word, bring fun and positive energy into the equation and enthusiastically participate in *whatever* the day brings.
Jo Brooks, board member:
Victor is the ultimate Coastkeeper. He is always (and in all ways) completely in sync with the mission, vision, and ethos of this splendid environmental organization. His commitment is 100% and then some. We’re both transplants from the East Coast, and we’ve bonded over our shared enthusiasm for Coastkeeper and San Diego’s year around outdoor lifestyle. As an active member of the Board, I’m in the office a lot, and Victor is always there, always upbeat, and always hard at work – morning, noon, night, and even weekends. He’s so good at keeping the books organized, that I rarely have a question, but whenever I seek his input, he’s got the answer at whatever level of detail I need, and he makes sure I understand it and am good to go. I love Victor’s resourcefulness, his “can do” attitude – his willingness to pitch in to accomplish any task, no matter how big or small. Coastkeeper’s new ED talks about the chemistry at Coastkeeper – its “green flash” and sense of family. That’s Victor! And those cool shades are to die for. . . .
Soumya Chennapragada:
Rockstar with a good heart. This trait was very apparent when he was helping me with filing my visa related paperwork. The process was new to me and him as well. He made every effort to understand the 'legalese', work with everyone concerned while assuring me that 'we'll get this done' . And, we did :) Thanks very much Victor ! Wish you all the very best.
Katelyn Hailey:
When we needed people to collect items for our live and silent auctions, Victor hit the ground running and managed to make some great connections in order to offer our supporters interesting, fun and meaningful experiences, and help raise money for Coastkeeper's work. In fact, our fantastic "Beer for a Year" live auction package was a huge hit, largely thanks to his incredible efforts to put that package together with one-of-a-kind experiences and pieces to give the package that extra oomph.
Alicia Glassco:
Victor is both my coworker and my friend. When I first started at Coastkeeper, I worked occasional late evenings to try to wrap my head around Coastal Cleanup Day. Sometimes he worked late for deadlines too. Once the last person left, we would turn up the speakers and blast some new music that the other hadn’t heard before, sometimes sending each other links to fresh music or upcoming concerts. It made staying late at the office tolerable, and for that I will always be thankful. Victor’s musical influence on Coastkeeper will be greatly missed!
Erin Reynante:
The first thing I learned about Victor when I started as an intern at Coastkeeper was he is always willing to help in whatever capacity he can. Whether it is administrative, heavy lifting, event help or what to eat for lunch, VV would offer whatever time and skill he could. Day in and day out if I ever have a question, he will take the time to listen to me and if he doesn’t have the answer, he will work with me to find it. Beyond being a great coworker, VV is a selfless and generous human being and an overall pleasant person to be around.
Gale Filter:
Obviously, Brooklyn boy Victor has totally embraced the California lifestyle as evidenced by his 24/7 casual Friday wardrobe.
