Adrienne Bailey

Ms. Bailey is a graduate of Garfield High, she holds an AA in Business with a concentration in International Marketing from Richland Community College in Dallas, Texas and a BA in Business, Marketing with a minor in Finance from George Washington University at Mt. Vernon in Washington, D.C.

Regardless to where Ms. Bailey lived she continuously found ways to be involved in her community. After fours working at Bloomingdales Dallas store, she left her position as an executive to complete her formal education. During this time she became very in involved in student activities as well as becoming a member of an advisory board for the South Dallas Cultural Center.

After completing her A.A from Richland Community College she moved to Washington D.C. to complete her B.A at George Washington University at Mt. Vernon. After completing her degree Ms. Bailey worked on many assignments ranging from governmental and lobbyist offices to non-profit organizations. Her community activities were a Junior Achievement volunteer presenting a program to middle school youths called The Economics of Staying in School and worked with varies youth programs at her church.

Since Ms. Baileys return to Seattle in 1996 and to her family home she has been highly involved and committed to building and improving her community, the Central Area. She immediately became active in her immediate neighborhood by organizing activities to get old and new residents acquainted (Ms. Baileys family has lived in the home she occupies for almost fifty years).

From that point her involvement grew to her community council (Greater Madison Valley Community Council) and eventually to her becoming President of the Central Area Neighborhood District Council. Through her leadership as President the council has become a viable forum for the community councils in the district to share ideas and strategies for their common goals and challenges. Which has lead the councils to work together on all issues affecting the Central Area on the whole and becoming a united force of support in bring about change in their communities.

Ms. Bailey works with the many community councils in her district facilitating these efforts with the relevant local government agencies to follow through on the solutions. She has also been very instrumental in working with the City in bring a small community participation program call Small Sparks that assists individuals in small outreach activities in their neighborhoods. Ms. Baileys community involvement goes beyond the councils she also works with: the 23rd and Union Business Group, The Arboretum Park Preservation Coalition, C.A.N.E., she serves as the Greater Madison Valley Community Council site council representative for Martin Luther King Elementary School (the elementary school she went to as a child) and as a Graduate of United Ways Project LEAD, Ms. Bailey volunteers as member of the financial committee of Washington Works. Recently she was elected Vice Chair of the City Neighborhood Council, which is the citywide body over community council.

The contrast of what the Central Area looked like and the economic base when she left 17 years ago to what it looks like now prompted Ms. Bailey to also get involvement with the Central Area Action Plan Stewardship. Working with this group of neighbors, neighborhoods, community organizations, and businesses, lead her to further exposure in working with various City, and local officials and departments to implement various aspects of the Central Area Action Plan. This plan addresses such issues as Housing, Economic Development, Transportation and Human Development.

Ms. Bailey combined her more than 15 years of retail, marketing and management experience with her 10 years in banking and finance to developed her own company, KISMIT (Keep It Simple - Make It Tidy), a bookkeeping and personal organizing consulting company in 1999. It was her community work, marketing and management talents that brought her to work with Seattle Central Community College in its community outreach efforts to the Central Area. Which lead Ms. Bailey to her current positions as Director of the Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC).

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1. What do you think should be SCNA's highest priorities?

What Ive observed thus far is that SCNA have the technological know how pretty well under control. I feel the highest priority going forward should be the human element, community outreach. As far as I can tell in relationship to communities of color for instance you are not on their radar. In other words they are not aware of the SCNA and how it can be of benefit to them. Yet, SCNA and the services it offers could be of significant service to these communities of color, specificity the African American. One issue that immediately comes to mind would be to use the internet to enhance and change the negative perception people in the area have of the Central Area, primarily African Americans and secondary people of color and different ethnic or cultural backgrounds in general. The Central Area has a website, but I feel it could be better maintained with the assistance of SCNA.

What specific strengths would you bring to SCNA?

My connection and extensive involvement in my community, the Central Area as well as my position at Seattle Central Community College as Director of its Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC). I would say that my communicative skills which crosses many boundaries, generational, ethnic, cultural, socio-economic or whatever boundaries society has that divides, separates and/or pigeonhole people. I also have both an artist and business background, which contributes to my ability to look at life from both the right and left brain perception (whole brain thinker). This affords me the ability to see uniqueness in all things and people and to find ways to inter-connect them to the benefit of all involved, ego creating win-win scenarios.

What specifically, beyond coming to monthly meetings are you hoping to work on within the SCNA Board?

Expanding SCNAs connection and approach in its outreach efforts to and with the Central Area, primarily people of African American descent, and other persons and communities of color, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Perhaps my presents and input could serve as a catalyst to other board members to think outside the box or beyond the world of technology and then apply that creative think to many challenges we shall face together. By no means do I see this collaboration as a one sided experience, I believe that I too will learn a great deal from the other Board members I will be working with. I am already out and working with mine and other communities. I would simple bring SCNA along for the ride and the benefit of creating more relationships and increasing SCNAs visibility, could be had by all.

How, as a Board Member, would you seek to increase SCNAs outreach into undeserved communities?

I am very involved in one area in Seattle, the Central Area, which could be seen as an underserved community. Which in some way is true. This area has the most community based computer centers, but they are under utilized. They lack the training and relevance to the communitys needs and understand to the important to having access to the digital world. By combining my position at Seattle Central Community College, my involvement in my community for the past four (4) years, as well as my position as Vice-Chair of the City Neighborhood Council, I would represent SCNA in promoting its programs and offerings to the various organizations and groups that are in varying degrees of needing SCNAs services and other offerings.