Reflections from TuLynn Smylie, CEO: New Year, New Beginnings

January 16, 2023

It has been almost two months, and while the learning curve has been pretty steep, I am very energized by Imagine LA and the work we do. I have met individually with nearly all the staff and Board, attended strategy meetings, met donors and funders, and observed our program first-hand.

The world of Imagine LA has opened up for me, and the possibilities are endless. 

The staff at Imagine LA is incredibly diverse – each person brings their unique background, experience and perspective to the work. Everyone is uniformly passionate about ending family poverty and homelessness. Our mission: “Together with families, we transform lives by building relationships, wellbeing, and economic mobility” infuses everything we do.  We also have lived experience on our staff, and this further enriches and informs our work. We are clear about our goal and that has made us thought leaders. We’re proud of all of this. 

But the work spans a lot of areas. It isn’t always just about developing a plan, reaching a milestone, paying rent. It’s equally important to foster resilience in the families we serve. It is critical to help them access joy and reconnection with each other, because this will also help them to maintain their housing and escape the bonds of poverty. 

Several times a year, families, donors, volunteers and staff come together to celebrate. I had the privilege of volunteering at our annual holiday-themed Winter Wonderland family fun event on December 10, and it was great to see families enjoying the season’s bounty. Parents were able to select toys for their children as well as gifts for themselves and their families, and step away from the stressors in their lives for a morning to enjoy themselves. The children were able to just have fun – decorating cupcakes, painting a picture, writing letters to Santa, or visiting with The Man himself. There were snacks, music, hot cocoa, a raffle of live Christmas trees and a talent show. Seeing the parents’ faces and the smiles of their children was enough to know that we are creating memories as well as building a sense of hope.

Our families’ hope will grow into realizations of goals and dreams, as they gain the skills and knowledge to become the architects of their own lives. 

 This year, I see more exciting things happening for our families and for Imagine LA. One of the biggest: Jill Bauman (our CEO emeritus) and Brit Moore Gilmore are now Co-Founders of Social Benefit, a new Imagine LA “sister” organization, and are leading the effort to finalize testing and launch of the Social Benefits Navigator, a unique tool that will revolutionize the way we provide social services. It is going to be a game-changer in the work we do with families, enabling them to make good decisions for themselves on their journey out of poverty and homelessness. 

I am thrilled to have joined Imagine LA, and to be a part of such an amazing organization, and I look forward to the New Year with eagerness and anticipation.

TuLynn Smilie
CEO, Imagine LA