Faces of SAL: Carolyn Ainslie
January 7, 2021
We have a few new faces on the SAL Board of Directors to introduce to you over the coming weeks! Most of our board members began their SAL journey the same way you did: as readers and event-goers. Learn about the moments that inspired them to get involved more deeply, what they do, where they come from, and what excites them.
Meet Carolyn Ainslie!
What do you do when you’re not doing work for the SAL Board?
Working from home for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to support the vision that all lives have equal value and that every person deserves the opportunity for a healthy and productive life.
What was your favorite book as a kid?
I loved Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White, and as an adult, I love his book This is New York. Both are descriptive in ways that bring you into the place and invite you to feel deeply.
What’s a memorable SAL event for you?
We enjoyed Ta-Nehisi Coates for his humanity and the power of personal stories.
Where are you from?
I was born in Corning, New York and never imagined that I would move to a city that also has a glass culture like Seattle.
What’s your ideal Sunday?
Coffee, the New York Times, writing weekly letters to my mother, and a long walk absorbing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest.
What’s your favorite book right now?
Becoming Duchess Goldblatt because it raises so many issues of connection in this world when we can’t physically be together and the importance of feeling like you belong.
What was the best idea you ever had?
This is a tough one. I think loving deeply and taking risks in moving for new positions for organizations that have missions that I believe in.
What’s your personal motto?
Be kind.