I’m pleased to introduce myself and thrilled to join the My Digital TAT2 team. I will be working with the board and staff of My Digital TAT2 for the next few months as we prepare for new leadership. I had the pleasure of working with my predecessor, Jennifer Mineer, over the last two years supporting My Digital TAT2’s fundraising efforts and have been incredibly grateful for her support over the last two months through this transition. As My Digital TAT2’s first full-time Executive Director, Jennifer established a strong foundation for our future, including almost $400,000 in institutional support this year alone, several new community partnerships, and a small but mighty team of professionals and board members.
Let me share a bit about myself. Over the last 25 years, I have worked in a variety of organizations in London, Boston, Chicago, and the Bay Area, serving in roles that touch every part of organizational operations – direct service, fundraising, financial management, communications, strategy development, and program evaluation. I began my career managing youth programs in disinvested communities in Chicago and then shifted my social impact focus to nonprofit administration and fundraising. For 10 years, I served as the Executive Director of Health Connected, a leading provider of reproductive health education in California and a key partner of My Digital TAT2. Since transitioning out of my role at Health Connected in 2022, I have had the opportunity to serve in a variety of interim leadership roles, while providing consulting support on strategic planning, revenue generation, operational excellence, and organizational performance management. I received a BA in Psychology with a minor in Education from UCLA, an MBA with a concentration in Public and Non-Profit Management from Boston University, an MS in Educational Improvement and Transformation from Drexel University, and a doctorate in Educational Leadership and Management, also from Drexel University.
Perhaps more importantly, though, like many parents, I have had a front row seat to the opportunities and challenges that access to digital technology presents to young people. I have grappled with the “right” age to introduce different types of devices to my own children. For my older son, it was a question of how often to put in the Baby Mozart DVD so my husband and I could have a few minutes of quiet. It seems so quaint now. The boundaries of devices became so much more challenging as he and his brother got older. My younger son was in 5th grade when the social isolation of COVID started. For him, I was incredibly grateful for his access to technology because it was the only way he could engage with his friends. We watched several of his school friendships blossom online through the most challenging period of COVID in 2020 and 2021. And, we got insights into his social relationships that we never would have gotten if he hadn’t been playing Minecraft with voice chat on a computer in our kitchen. (Plus, that Minecraft music is soooo chill.)
At the same time, as both of my kids have gotten older, I periodically wonder what I don’t see my kids doing on their devices. The answer is inevitably A LOT. There is a point now where I realize that the genie is out of the bottle and there’s no putting it back in, so I just have to hope that I have given my kids the tools to think critically about the content they are seeing or that they will talk to me if they have questions or need help. I must admit, I am not confident that I have done that.
And so I am grateful that My Digital TAT2 is here to support me and so many other parents through programs in schools, workshops for parents, and trainings for youth service providers. I am grateful that My Digital TAT2 starts with understanding how young people experience the physical and digital worlds in concert through our teen empowerment programs. From those roots, grow thoughtful programs for students and trusted adults - helping us all navigate both the opportunities and challenges of our ever expanding digital world.
I look forward to working with My Digital TAT2’s board of directors, staff, partners, and supporters over the next few months. Please don’t hesitate to reach out any time.
Abi Karlin-Resnick is the Interim Executive Director of My Digital TAT2 and can be reached at executivedirector@mydigitaltat2.org.
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