⁄Tactics⁄ Lindsey Norlander Looks Beyond the Dress The executive director of Dress for Success Oregon talks about the organization’s commitment to supporting women and genderexpansive people in the workforce and beyond. INTERVIEW BY CHRISTEN MCCURDY DRESS FOR SUCCESS OREGON STARTED in 1999 in a Portland garage, becoming the seventh affiliate of an organization that started two years earlier in a church basement in New York City. As the name suggests, the organization provided — and continues to provide — donated clothing to women who need something to wear to a job interview or to a new job. But the scope of both the national and local organizations has grown well beyond that, to offer job training and upskilling, networking opportunities, financial education and access to other resources, including—at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic—new laptops and access to the internet for clients who suddenly found themselves working from home but without the right technology to do their jobs. The organization has served more than 30,000 clients in 25 years. A spokesperson for DFSO says that in 2022, 73% of surveyed clients were on public assistance, but two years later, only 36% of the respondents were still on public assistance. Lindsey Norlander became the executive director of DFSO in February, after six years with the Oregon affiliate and 11 total with the organization. She started working at Dress for Success Houston as a volunteer manager in 2014. In 2023 Norlander moved to Oregon; she worked as DFSO’s volunteer and store manager, its director of programming and community engagement, and its interim executive director before stepping into the ED role permanently. Before working with Dress for Success, Norlander consulted with nonprofits on fundraising and grant writing. Norlander’s experience also includes a stint teaching English as a second language in Thailand and acting as a liaison for a Thai orphanage, working with prospective adoptive families. Oregon Business met with Norlander this spring to talk about the wide variety of clients DFSO serves, the varying needs they bring to the table and what’s next for the organization. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 12
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