Farewell and Thank You, Michael Dowell!

Michael Dowell dressing cool for his last day in the oven.
At 4:15pm, it was 101° outside—so you can imagine how cozy his office was.

Michael’s last week as VCCA’s Director of Operations and Finance was a doozy. The derecho hit Friday night and Michael was on premises first thing Saturday, a pattern he has repeated every day since, clearing paths, cleaning up, making sure Fellows were as safe and comfortable as possible—no easy feat when you’re working without power and the days are a scorching 100°. He even brought an industrial fan from his own house for the VCCA kitchen, a blessing for the sweltering cooks.

He’s also been working with insurance adjustors and taking care of the myriad technical aspects of this disaster, even as he was closing out his own office responsibilities.

In typical Michael fashion, he has handled it all with humor and grace. Thank you, Michael, and best of luck in your new endeavors.

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