A Word about the War in Ukraine

It is not for me to pretend that I know anything about what it's like to have my family and friends in a war zone. I, like so many New Yorkers of my generation remember 9/11 and remember what it felt like to be under attack. But that's not exactly analogous to the ongoing systematic attack Ukraine is under right now at the hands of Russia.

Ukrainian flag painted — Photo by Tina Hartung on Unsplash

At SDA, four of my colleagues are Ukrainian citizens. One of them Olena (@olenazlilly) came to SDA shortly after I did and through her brilliance has risen from working inside our controls department a few years ago to becoming one of our rockstars in outside sales. Her intelligence is matched by her incredible work ethic and determination.

I cannot imagine the pain she and the rest of my colleagues must be going through, watching from afar as their family and friends fight a war in the streets. But listening to her resolve, it only echoes what we are all seeing through our phones and on our TV screens.

My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine and I will do everything I can (with my friends' guidance) to help. One thing we can all do is lend our voices and make sure the world knows that this atrocity is not part of the new world order, that Putin is wrong and that the world must endure whatever it takes (including higher gas prices) to choke off the Putin regime and end this horrible conflict.