In June of 2005, Sarah Nelsen resigned as administrative aid to the Chamber, after an admirable six months spent running our office and tending to the, sometimes, tedious tasks required to keep us operating. Volunteers from our Board of Directors interviewed applicants for the job. They selected an old friend of Fremont and the Chamber, Lillian Tangen, and with incredible grace she has continually tackled the many projects dumped at her feet.

A Long History In Fremont

Lillian worked for PROLAB for 30 years, including nearly 20 years at their West Fremont location at 1st Avenue Northwest and 36th Street. As their Marketing Manager and assistant to the owner, Lillian served as PROLAB’s liaison to the Chamber and then came on the Chamber Board for “probably 6 or 8 years,” by her counting. “In the days when it was more contentious,” she says about the mid-eighties in Fremont when PROLAB built their office building and moved from their original location near Bright Street Montessori in Ross.

Since leaving PROLAB in 2004, Lillian has explored new careers. “I don’t want to do something like my past life. Now I want my freedom, and flexibility.” Her decision to take the job for the Chamber gives her that, and she says the office work involved is “light enough.” “I don’t want to work full time,” she explained.

She plans to stay on with us until we hire an Executive Director, a position she has no interest in. For now she doesn’t even have an official title, “there are no business cards associated with this job,” she jokes, but she thinks of herself as the Chamber Office Representative.

With Plenty To Keep Busy

She runs our office, part-time, and she sees her primary job as “keeping the information flowing.” When asked, she speaks first about serving the public, plus the Board and Chamber members. The Chamber office acts as “Information Central” for our community, “and that takes up the most time.” With phone, e-mail and postal mail, Lillian has requests coming at her from many directions at once, containing diverse and sometimes curious requests.

She finds her past life, as a Board Member, “very helpful. I’d seen the Board in action and knew many, many of the same people.” Even after a couple of years away, Lillian found familiar faces among those involved in the Chamber. “I think it helps,” in her job to have a background in Fremont, “I don’t think it is necessary.” She knew what she was getting into, but she took the job anyway, so maybe previous warning about our idiosyncratic ways doesn’t help.

“I love that little office being in the Neighborhood Service Center,” Lillian spoke about the move Sarah made of the Chamber office, “It’s helpful.” Yun Pitre, the newest Service Center Coordinator, and Lillian share information since they often attend the same meetings, use similar resources and share the same concerns.

Another part of her job has been assisting Board Members as they try to pin down our policies and procedures, “we need to get a lot of things down on paper, and we need to update the Bylaws. It will make it easier in transitions.” The fact that we don’t have them, Lillian feels, is due to the way the job has been a part-time position of several office administrators rather than the full-time concern of an Executive Director.

No Time To Glimpse The Future

Lillian doesn’t presume to know what the future of Fremont holds. She has foreseen one duty of the Board. “One of the challenges Board Members are going to face is bringing in new people that want to be active. I think they are out there.” How to encourage and foster energy and involvement among new arrivals to the neighborhood could be the big issue for the future.

As to her future, Lillian plans to stay in touch with Fremont. “I spent most of my life there,” she says. When the Board hires an Executive Director, Lillian intends to look for a new place, perhaps working in a school or assisting on a worthwhile project. Whatever comes next, she intends to enjoy it and make it as different from her past as possible, with one exception. “Won’t it be funny,” she muses cheerfully, “if I find a part time job there in Fremont.” I know that is my hope. Good, reliable friends should never be taken for granted, even in Fremont.

   April 2006