Retirees become Isles unto others at nonprofit

The Trenton nonprofit Isles manages a diverse portfolio of programs, from its YouthBuild alternative high school that guides at-risk teens into careers, to the home rehab program that’s housed hundreds of urban families and the financial self-reliance program that makes microloans to fledgling businesses.

The entrepreneurial energy that keeps 28-year-old Isles forever sprouting new ideas — the latest is a green-collar job training program — is part of what has inspired highly qualifed retirees to pursue a second career at the organization.

After Jeanne Oswald retired as executive director of the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education in June 2007, she volunteered at Isles, working on YouthBuild’s strategic plan. In October, she was hired to launch the new Center for Energy and Environmental Training, which has begun training the young and the unemployed to join the emerging cadre of energy auditors, who will work to find energy leaks in buildings, then perform air sealing and insulation work.

YouthBuild students are among those who enrolled in CEET’s first class in January, and Oswald was drawn to Isles by the success YouthBuild has had in turning around the lives of teenagers who have failed in traditional schools.

In her 28-year career as a teacher and education executive, “I’ve always been aware of students who didn’t make it in the school system, and there didn’t seem to be an answer for how to deal with it,” Oswald said.

She said YouthBuild repairs the cracks in the system with small classes and a vocational program that teaches construction skills; YouthBuild graduates receive Trenton High School diplomas.

Another retiree who found a path to Isles is Charles Phillips, who had a 38-year career in information technology at such firms as Electronic Data Systems and Merrill Lynch. When he retired last year, he researched nonprofits near his Central Jersey home, and set his sights on Isles. He started in fundraising, and just switched to a new assignment, overseeing technology.

Martin Johnson, Isles founder and president, said tapping the retiree talent pool has been a big plus for the organization.

“There is now a broader population out there that is both in need of additional work and has a strong passion for making a difference in the world,” Johnson said.

Other professional retirees who’ve come on board at Isles include Dick Lilleston, a former Merrill Lynch executive who works on real estate; Scott Sillars, a corporate finance retiree who is evaluating business ventures to generate good local jobs; and Ken Snedeker, a retired electrical engineer who has operated a family construction business, and now oversees the major renovations of a building in Trenton.

The retirees who’ve joined Isles did so because they wanted to continue working, but thousands of Americans who’d hoped to retire have seen their investment portfolios ravaged by the stock market collapse, and now feel they must keep working — or even re-enter the work force after retiring.

“People have different temperaments, and I know how upsetting it is if you planned to retire and it all blows up in your face,” Oswald said. But she urged those who must keep working to consider the nonprofit world.

“There is so much in this world that needs to be done, and somebody with experience can address the myriad issues out there that need attention and don’t get enough of it,” she said.

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