We’re so happy to have Edmonds resident Devnee Gadbois on the Companis Board! Devnee is active in her community and a deep believer in volunteering. She also serves as Board Secretary of the Edmonds Waterfront Center and, until recently, was a weekly volunteer there.
Devnee retired after more than two decades as the Director of Human Resources at Seattle Children’s Hospital and joined our board in April.
When Devnee left her job in 2020, the pandemic was in full swing. So she volunteered where she was most needed – at the COVID immunization clinic at Children’s Hospital. “It was really nice to connect with people and see the satisfaction and the relief on their faces once they were vaccinated,” she says. After that, she began volunteering at the Edmonds Waterfront Center and eventually joined its board.
When it comes to Companis, Devnee says, “I really like our volunteer staffing model – finding out what nonprofits need and then finding the right person to fill that need. That’s very satisfying for the volunteer, too,” she says, “because they end up doing what they want to do in a position that suits them.”
Devnee says when she talks to people about Companis, she usually asks them some questions. “When I find someone who is looking for something or has a skill set, I ask them about how they think they can be of value. For some attorneys I know, for example, that may be their ability to problem solve. That can be very useful to an organization trying to move forward.”
Devnee says her own challenge is choosing from all the opportunities she sees around her. “There are so many things I want to do! For me, it’s more about narrowing it down and taking the time to plan things out.” But one thing’s for certain and that’s her commitment to service, including her work as a Companis board member. “I really like the nonprofit world,” she says. “I like the helping hands, the giving back, and the sense of community that comes with it.”