Meet Edwin Nelson

What brought you or led you to TerraLuna? How did you get here?

Over the past decade, I've been incredibly fortunate to work with several community-based organizations and foundations narrowly focused on addressing socio-economic disparities in the communities in which I've lived. I became enmeshed in the unique challenges facing these institutions. I often witnessed internal and external forces that prevented sustained change and quickly committed to figuring out creative solutions to advancing meaningful change. This commitment led me to accept roles with organizations at the precipice for growth, with staff willing to do the hard work of "doing more, with less," while understanding that adaptation is key. These roles carried varied responsibilities, but the common thread was that I worked collaboratively across programmatic teams to evaluate the success of work and co-create synergies across functional areas. I learned to dismantle silos and increase our effectiveness. This work embodied the spirit of continuous improvement while also recognizing the unique quirks of the not-for-profit world and quickly became my passion. This passion led me to TerraLuna. TerraLuna Collaborative presented itself as an embodiment of a true social enterprise focused on improving conditions, not just of the clients it serves but also for the communities, families, and individuals its clients directly impact. 

Why has it become your evaluation/facilitation home? Why did you commit, stay, choose to become a member? What about why we choose to work this way? 

TerraLuna's guiding principle of centering those most affected by its work is what drew me to join the cooperative and eventually become a member. My work with TerraLuna allows me to lean into the very aspect of my work that brings me joy, working directly with organizations to design, test, and refine innovative strategies to improve communities without relying on prescribed methodologies or rigid mindsets. In my experience, it's rare to find yourself surrounded by a dedicated team of expertly-trained practitioners willing to step back from their formal training to explore emergent and creative solutions to the myriad issues facing the not-for-profit community.