The Service to NAPO Award is bestowed upon a NAPO volunteer, or group of volunteers, whose dedication and commitment to NAPO and their area of responsibility goes above and beyond. The award recipient(s) is selected by the President of NAPO and presented during the NAPO Annual Conference.
Introducing Leslie Hatch Gail, PhD, 2022 Award Recipient
Q. What did you think and how did you feel when you learned that you won this award?
I was so surprised! Active involvement with NAPO and NAPO Chicago has always been a part of Declare Order Professional Organizing. There are so many benefits, it hadn’t occurred to me I was doing award-worthy work.
Q. Tell us the story of your NAPO involvement. What has been most rewarding?
This is going to be long! I’ll save the most rewarding for last.
In December of 2010, I met then chapter president of NAPO Chicago, Beth Fuchs, for coffee. Beth, coincidentally the 2018 Service to NAPO Award recipient, encouraged me to join NAPO and NAPO Chicago and come to their January meeting. At that meeting, I learned about their GO Month event at IKEA and already felt welcomed enough to participate. Soon after, I started volunteering for the NAPO Chicago Marketing Committee.
In April of 2011, Beth invited me to join a NAPO Chicago team for an episode of A&E’s Hoarders. I enjoyed the experience and went on to participate in two additional television episodes with my NAPO Chicago colleagues. I now understand that although the shows raise awareness, they can be considered exploitative and promote misinformation.
I served four terms as NAPO Chicago’s Professional Development Director and one term as the Marketing Director. I led several NAPO Chicago meetings as host, panelist, and presenter. The most rewarding part of being a member of NAPO Chicago is networking with colleagues and participating in GO Month service projects.
In November of 2018, I stepped out of my comfort zone and auditioned to host the new NAPO Stand Out Podcast. While the role deservedly went to Sarah Karakaian, I found myself filling out a form to volunteer at the national level and landed on NAPO’s marketing committee. I stepped into the role of Marketing Chair the following year. When Sarah Karkakain left, I helped host the auditions that resulted in the current host, Clare Kumar. Being a part of the NAPO Podcast Team and working closely with Clare was a highlight of my two-year term.
I was asked to serve on the development team for NAPO University’s Brain Based Conditions Certificate. My course, “Working Smart Together: Preparing for Conversations with Clients Living with Diagnoses” is a required client interaction course for receiving the certificate.
The most rewarding part of my NAPO involvement thus far was presenting at this year’s national conference. My session, “Shift Your Mindset: Tapping into Client Strengths,” provided an opportunity for me to teach what I was learning in my community psychology course work and apply it to our industry. Presenting at the national level felt like a validation of everything I have been working on over the last decade from my little town in the Chicago suburbs. Shout-out to my Author and Publishing SIG, Hoarding SIG, and Golden Circle Mastermind Group peeps!
Q. How does your passion for education show up in your work?
I naturally work with my clients to teach new skills that build on their strengths. As I mentioned, I have also had the opportunity to teach my professional colleagues through a variety of presentations and courses. Additionally, I give talks in my local community. I have presented about organizing to my writing group, a Girl Scout troop, libraries, community colleges, etc. I was a keynote speaker for the Illinois Chapter of the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences 2022 annual conference. And for the past two years I have been teaching people through TikTok!
Q. How has volunteering helped to build and grow you and/or your business?
I always say, I wouldn’t have a business without NAPO and NAPO Chicago. As an entrepreneur, having a network of colleagues I have met through volunteering is imperative to keeping my finger on the pulse of the national conversation in the industry.
Q. Where have you found support within NAPO? Where has support found you?
I love NAPO POINT! I even crowd-sourced there when I was giving up my minivan to help decide what car to get. I purchased a Subaru Forrester which wasn’t even on my radar until I posed the question. I have also obviously found support from my NAPO and NAPO Chicago friends and colleagues. It is very much a reciprocal relationship.
Q. What volunteer advice would you give to both new and veteran NAPO members?
Join something and stay involved. If you are feeling burned out or annoyed by your current position, find something else. Volunteering gives you the opportunity to give back, showcase your skills and, as I have learned, you never know who is paying attention!
About the Interviewer: Amelia Pleasant Kennedy is the Committee Chair of NAPO’s Awards and Recognition Committee. She is the owner of A Pleasant Solution in Detroit, MI and has been a NAPO Member since 2020.