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Dear Minerva Fan Club,
2020 has been the year of the unexpected. Each day, I’ve been surprised or even outright shocked by something.
The sources of my daily surprise range from the mundane to the highly consequential: how blue the sky is or how smoke-filled the sky is; the depths of our politicians’ desperate antics or the exhilaration of hope in new leadership; the near-destroyed state of my home desk (née dining room table) or a Zoom breakout room miracle that unites colleagues; a new baby delighting my extended family or a friend sighing that her father’s long-distance passing from COVID was “as if he’d simply disappeared.”
Through it all, Minerva Strategies has been one of my few steady sources of joy, though we too have had plenty of surprises.
Minerva closed doors on our Seattle office and DC co-working spot and settled into working from our homes. Our team has grown to include amazing new team members—including our fantastic virtual interns Michael and Rachel—based in places I would never have anticipated in pre-COVID times. We have done excellent work partnering with Seattle Foundation and organizations on the frontlines of equity-centered relief and recovery. And it’s a good thing I adore the Minerva team because, besides my husband, they are the only people I [virtually] see every day.
Below you’ll find more news about unexpected happenings in 2020. Above all, this year has left most of us exhausted—even if we find some of the surprises exciting. I hope you’re staying healthy and safe.
All best,
Joy Portella
President, Minerva Strategies
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