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SOHO President's MessageJaye MacAskill, SOHO board president
September/October 2018
By Jaye MacAskill

I'm excited to tell you that SOHO is preparing for next year's auspicious 50th anniversary of the organization's founding. From its humble origins as an impromptu living room gathering organized around saving a single Victorian house, SOHO has grown into a major force for historic preservation throughout San Diego County and Baja California. We have played an instrumental role in preserving hundreds of local and regional historic sites, and there is no doubt that San Diego would look much different today and have far less authentic character and beauty were it not for SOHO's past, and ongoing, efforts.

Serving on SOHO's board of directors for the past eleven years, and as board president for the past eight, has been one of the biggest honors and most personally enriching opportunities of my life. I am humbled that my fellow board members have entrusted the top leadership position to me for so long; it has been a pleasure getting to spend time alongside such fine people.

While I cannot take full credit for any of SOHO's many recent accomplishments, I am proud to have been a part of the organization during a historic period of growth. The board and highly professional staff have enabled SOHO to purchase the Santa Ysabel Store and Hoover Barn properties and to take over operation of the Marston House Museum & Gardens and Warner-Carrillo Ranch House. Working closely with our tireless, innovative staff, SOHO has significantly increased its educational programming and levels of organizational and financial stability.

For a venerable, time-tested non-profit organization like SOHO, success is often best achieved and maintained by striking a healthy balance between consistency and change. This is mainly why I have decided that this is the right time for me to step down as board president and allow one of my dedicated fellow board members the chance to assume this important position.

With SOHO's "state of the union" stronger than it has ever been in its 50-year history, I am thrilled to announce that Vice President David Goldberg has generously agreed to take over as board president in September. Not only is David one of the nicest people I have ever known, he is also a decades-long SOHO member and an incredibly smart and talented professional accountant. Since joining the board several years ago, David's financial expertise has been a tremendous asset. I am extremely confident that he is the perfect person to lead SOHO into its next half century.

I will be moving into the ex officio position, which I feel is important for board continuity. I will attend the regular board and preservation action committee meetings, and am looking forward to supporting David in his new executive position.

Thank you, friends and colleagues, and SOHO staff, for supporting me as board president for all these years. I look forward to seeing you at the next SOHO event and throughout our 50th anniversary year!

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