If teaching and mentoring are, indeed, among the greatest acts of optimism, then think of Elizabeth Gallagher as an optimist of the highest order.
Some people enjoy it more than others.
I find the role to be extremely rewarding, a payback of sorts for the 25-plus years I have devoted to the profession. It's a privilege, really, to help others develop their skills and grow as professionals while at the same time continuing to learn from those with whom I work. It's a two-way opportunity. During her nascent years as a development executive, Betsey herself benefited from the wisdom of individuals who took a keen interest in her career. One, Robert Duke, a former fund-raising consultant with New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, urged her to take her first development job with the National Cathedral School in Washington.