Gretchen Flatau

Chariot, formerly Drive a Senior Central Texas, provides free transportation to individuals 59 and better; we enrich lives and communities by providing transportation and socialization to non-driving seniors. Our vision is that every senior in central Texas will have access to transportation for food, doctor's appointments and all those things that help them age in place, happy and healthy.

I have worked in the non-profit sector since high school; I believe that professionally run nonprofits are the key to making our world a more just place. My interest in Chariot stems from growing up with a great-grandmother, grandmother and mother who never drove and as they aged struggled with transportation.

I am passionate about approaching social problems with nonprofit models that combine professionalism, good business acumen and a focus on people and the mission. There is much talk about what nonprofits can learn from the business world. I believe the for-profit world has much to learn from us.

I don't have a specific mentor or role model, I have always tried to learn from every leader I have encountered whether it was a client, a volunteer or a staff person - there are so many people to emulate and learn from. I've tried to take the best from each.

I think my biggest challenge has always been to figure out how to use limited resources to accomplish our mission - whether the resource is time, money, space or people.

The best advice I have received is to find joy in the work if you want to keep doing it.

A. Focus on the mission, always.
B. Plan and prepare, but always know that some things are going to walk in the door that you never could have planned for - some good, some bad. But more often than not something great will happen that keeps everything on track.
C. Trust your team - give them room to make mistakes and room to succeed (and you are a member of the team too)!