Dear Friend of RMAPI,
We are pleased to inform you about the process and selection of a highly qualified leader for the RMAPI backbone staff.
A search committee led by RMAPI Co-chairs Daan Braveman and Jerome Underwood was tasked with identifying the next leader of the team working to eliminate poverty and increase sufficiency for people in Rochester. The seven-member search committee included community members with lived experience of poverty, nonprofits, funders, employers and government.
An experienced local search consultant identified more than 150 qualified candidates from around the U.S., who were vetted by the committee, which also interviewed finalists.
At yesterday’s meeting of the Steering Committee, Aqua Y. Porter was approved unanimously as the next Executive Director. Aqua has been serving as interim executive director since May.
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Help us congratulate Aqua Y. Porter!
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Aqua had a 30+ year career with Xerox where she held a variety of positions in Engineering, Marketing, Product Development, Global Purchasing, Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management., Lean Six Sigma and Channel Partner Management. She is a senior manager with extensive experience in all phases of product development and delivery. Aqua retired as Vice President, Channel Business Systems and Operations in the Global Channel Strategy organization. She is a mature, confident and innovative executive with strong interpersonal skills, adept in building strong teams who deliver exceptional results.
Aqua is a 40-year member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., the first Greek Sorority established by African-American college educated women. She is a member of the Rochester Chapter of The Links Incorporated where she has served in several leadership positions and is the current Vice-President. She is the Vice-Chair of the Keuka College Board of Trustees, a member of the RIT Saunders School Dean’s Advisory Council, a past Board Chair for the Susan B. Anthony House, Inc., and former board member of Camp Stella Maris and past member of Jack and Jill, Incorporated. Aqua has served in leadership positions in nearly every organization she joined including President and Vice-President of Xerox’s Rochester Black Employee Association and former President of Delta Nu Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority.
Aqua was honored as a Woman of Distinction by Girl Scouts of Western New York. She was nominated for the Athena Award and Rochester Women’s Network “W” Awards. In 2009, she received the Human Relations Award from Kettering University and in 2013, was inducted into the National Co-op Hall of Fame in recognition of her professional accomplishments.
Living in the shadow of Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony, Aqua hopes to inspire the next generation of leaders. She is particularly interested in initiatives that enable all people to grow and develop into leaders who will be advocates of change, impact community policies and practices and improve the lives and conditions of those who are continuously challenged by trauma, racism and discrimination.
Aqua’s hobbies include reading, shopping and traveling. She is a practicing yogi and yoga teacher. |
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