Carol A. Hodges, OIF Board Candidate


As I look forward to continued service as a member of Optimist International, my thoughts turned to where I might best serve. And that led me to the Optimist International Foundation. I would like to have been one of those members who jumped on the foundation bandwagon from the beginning but like many of our members, I came to recognize its importance in stages. And this gives me a perspective on how important it is to reach our members early in their membership. My start came with a purchase of a Dima-A-Day pin and went from there to serving a club foundation representative and purchasing raffle items on behalf of the foundation. But my year as a district governor really brought home to me the incredible work that the foundation does for our members, our clubs, our communities. The following year I served as the district foundation representative in a district with a proven track record of supporting the foundation and that year was no exception. I am humbled to be a Christian D. Larsen Partner, a William H. Harrison Society Member, and a Bronze Benefactor.

I also feel that I bring additional skills as a retired United States Army officer with extensive management and leadership training. And following my retirement, I then served as a pediatric nurse practitioner in the local county health district. So the new focus on childhood health and wellness is aligned with my personal values. In addition, I am in my third year as a director and current secretary on the local community college’s foundation that has responsibility for over $15 million dollars of assets.

As I complete my year as Vice President for the Southwest Region for 2020-21, I would be honored to then serve as a director on the Optimist International Foundation beginning 1 October 2021.