Volunteer service starts at the top, at the White House. 

President Obama and the First Lady have emphasized service throughout the presidential campaign and since taking office in January.  And they're not all talk.  They have created serve.gov, a portal to help people find service opportunities in their community.  President Obama campaigned for and signed into law the Kennedy Serve America Act, which more than doubled the size of the AmeriCorps program.  Following their lead we've seen many new innovations focused on connecting Americans to their communities and encouraging everyone to become engaged. 

AllForGood.org was created and launched in the spring.  The organization is run by former employees of Craig's List, Google and other internet heavy hitters.  Shortly after this service aggregator was created, VolunteerMatch.org, created their own Creative Commons license that enabled organizations to utilize the volunteer listings from their website to build new internet applications. 

It truly is an exciting time for service in America.  UGIVE.ORG is looking to capitalize on this momentum with our own unique focus.  Most of the other innovations have one thing in common; they are almost entirely focused on adult service.  Combine this with a huge desire by students to use their energy and talents in their community and you're left with a huge gap.  UGIVE.ORG is looking to fill this gap by focusing exclusively on student volunteers.  We streamline the process for youth to find service opportunities and build a service resume of verified service hours.  The resume can be used for graduation requirements, college or professional applications and scholarships.

Eighteen months ago I joined UGIVE.ORG as the Executive Director.  I joined a group founded by Cris Collinsworth, Deanna Castellini and Craig Young.  At the time I joined, they had a vision for connecting students to service opportunities, and the beta version of a website started. 

Fast forward 18 months. 

We now have a robust website with powerful tools for schools, students and non-profits.  We have more than 5,000 students signed up representing schools from 15 different states.  It's been an amazing year and half, and I've been blessed to help lead an organization full of amazing and connected board members, and a small (but awesome) staff that includes one other full-time employee, 2 part-time employees and an assortment of interns, part-timers, co-ops and volunteers. 

Our initial launch was for 2008-2009 school year in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky.  This fall we have expanded throughout Ohio.  Our expansion over the first two months of this school year has led to students signing on at more then half of the schools in Ohio!  And we're launching our most exciting service promotion to date in mid-November.  As part of the OHSAA Foundation Service Week, we have confirmed that NBA All-Star Shaquille O'Neal will serve as a prize and motivator for student volunteers across the state.  As part of the contest, the school in Ohio that has the highest percentage of students involved in a service activity during OHSAA Service Week (Nov. 19 - Dec. 5) will get to send 15 student representatives to a Cleveland Cavs game, where they will be recognized for their service and have a private meeting with the Big Man.  We're excited to be able to offer this unique opportunity to student volunteers in Ohio, and look forward to continuing to provide unique opportunities like this for students across America. 

I've had two distinct work experiences in my professional life. 

The first ten years of my career, I worked for Accenture, a very large consulting firm with more than 130,000 employees worldwide.  During that time I certainly gained tremendous experience and great project management skills.  I also had the opportunity to work with great people locally and around the world.  However, there were two key things missing in my time at Accenture.  First, was the ability to act on my entrepreneurial drive.  Being part of a large company like Accenture makes it very difficult to affect change.  The second missing component was a connection to service and community.  Without question, Accenture had a nice corporate program for service and philanthropy.  However, as with the business side, it was often very difficult to be able to work for the things you were passionate about. 

So after nearly a decade at Accenture I knew it was time for a change.  I knew that I wasn't looking for another large corporate experience.  At the same time, I didn't want to be just another body at a large non-profit.  Just as I was beginning to think this through, something unexpected happened.  I was invited to a meeting with one of Give Back Cincinnati's partners, Duke Energy.  At this meeting, I heard a vision for UGIVE.ORG and their desire to build a website that would revolutionize youth volunteering.  I walked out of that meeting with an answer to the question I had just begun to think about -  "What do I want to do next in my career?" 

UGIVE.ORG combined the two major components missing in my previous professional career.  It was a perfect opportunity for me to innovate and help shape a company, and it struck directly at my passion for the community, and most importantly for volunteer service.  Certainly this came with a trade-off.  I no longer have the same financial package, and gone are the frequent flier miles and hotel points.  But what has replaced it is something special.  I've had the opportunity to prove the old saying true, "find something you love to do, and you'll never work another day in your life."  Eighteen months later, that is definitely true for me and my new career.