Jim Eskin, ESIA BA ’75, was always fascinated by the political process, so attending college in Washington, D.C. was a natural decision.
“I was a tag-along younger child when my older sister took a campus tour and went elsewhere but GW left an indelible impression,” he recalls.
The urban affairs major and Delta Tau Delta fraternity member enjoyed his time in D.C. as a student, so he stayed seven years after graduation.
“Since leaving the Washington area, I’ve gravitated toward public affairs and advocacy-type work,” he says. Eskin has more than 30 years of leadership experience in institutional advancement, fundraising, public affairs and communications. He now is executive director of the Alamo Colleges Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the community college system serving the San Antonio area.
Today he resides in Texas, where he is chair of the GW San Antonio Alumni Club, which hosts a handful of social events throughout the year, including George Washington’s birthday bash. (In fact this was the first club to host a birthday bash for George).
“Get involved in your local alumni chapter. It will enable you to meet people you otherwise probably wouldn’t meet,” he says, adding that alumni organizations are a good social dynamic to bring different generations together.
And meeting new people creates new connections. “I was able to help one of our young alums land a new job that became an important career move for her,” Eskin says.
“One of the more important decisions we make is what we do with our time,” he says. “Participating in alumni activities is well worth the time commitment.”
