Thoughts from the President

July 25, 2025 - Eight Things I Appreciate

Dear Danforth Center Community,

By my count, I have nine more weekly messages to communicate to the Danforth Center community. I’ve enjoyed writing these for the last five and one-half years, and I’m always surprised, but delighted, when I receive responses. The feedback is generally good, though on occasion someone will educate me about something that was missed or incorrect, or that caused agitation. As I suggested last week, I want to use the next two months to reflect on our achievements, our people, and our culture, all of which make the Danforth Center unique. Over the next eight messages, I will count down through the Top Eight Things I Appreciate about the Danforth Center. They are:

8. We have a purpose.
7. The St. Louis community supports us.
6. We have great facilities.
5. It’s a place you can fail.
4. It’s a place you can build and succeed.
3. We’re not perfect.
2. Our values-driven and collaborative people.
1. You gave me an opportunity.

I suspect most of you would include several of these in your own Top Eight; I would love to hear what you would include on your lists. Remarkably, when I asked four colleagues at lunch today, “What do you appreciate most about the Danforth Center,” they all gave more or less the same answer. Not surprisingly, their answer is also on my list. Other items on my list might seem non-intuitive or strange to appreciate. But I look forward explaining those and the rest in the weeks ahead.

Thank you all for creating a Danforth Center in which there is so much to recognize, appreciate and value. Have a good weekend!

Jim Carrington,
President and Chief Executive Officer

Previous Weekly Messages from Jim Carrington