Linda Saris — Bringing Passion to The Point

One woman is working hard to make a difference in The Point.

Ten years ago, Linda Saris began to make a difference by opening , a learning center for the neighborhood’s youth and adults.

With an undergraduate degree in economics and urban studies from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Chicago, Saris has spent most of her career as a high-tech executive, taking Bedford’s RSA Security public as its chief financial officer. But she has harbored a passion for public service from a young age.

”I’m a child of the 60s, and for kids who grew up in the 60s we were taught we could change things, that actions are able to impact positive change,” she said. “I promised myself that when I had the wherewithal, at some point I would leave the corporate world and start something to give back.”

In 2001, Saris was contemplating her big move a few months before the September 11 attacks. The subsequent implosion of the technology industry was her motivation.

“After September 11 it all clicked and I said I’m going to give it a go,” she said. “I wanted to see if I could get this non-profit dream off the ground.”

Exploring possibilities near her hometown of Swampscott, in 2002 Saris was introduced to leaders of North Shore Community Action Programs, who had received funding to start an Internet café in The Point. She volunteered to run Salem CyberSpace and within a year expanded it to offer youth and adult computer training.

“It was evident from the start you can give people access to computers, but if they can’t use them it does no good,” she said. “Also, embracing new technology is a way kids can engage their participation in learning. Technology is really a tool and it can’t just stand alone.”

Because of the neighborhood demographic, Saris soon found teenagers from countries such as the Dominican Republic and Vietnam needing language help too.

“While we started with technology and science, kids coming in needed more comprehensive services,” she said. “English literacy is very low. We realized the tremendous need in English literacy and added that component.”

Today Salem CyberSpace offers youth programs primarily helping low-income, minority kids from homes where English is not spoken. Tutors and program administrators provide homework help, English improvement through community engagement and college application and financial aid assistance. Other programs offer computer training to unemployed and low-income adults, often parents of those in the youth programs.

Salem CyberSpace serves 125 youth per year. One hundred percent of its students to date have completed high school and 95 percent are enrolled in college. The program continues to work with students throughout their college careers.

Saris’s financial acumen has served her well as a responsible steward of public funding, but she acknowledges many challenges in the non-profit sector.

“The hardest part for me about running a non-profit is the lack of certainty,” she said. “In the 10 years we’ve been around we’ve had three recessions, one severe. Funding is here today and gone tomorrow. It’s like running a business and every year you end at zero.”

As Salem CyberSpace grows, Saris looks to other, larger non-profits to learn, but struggles with the appropriate way to scale the organization.

“Sometimes I wonder if our success is because we’re small,” she said. “I tend to be hard on myself and look at these multi-state national programs and ask: what did they do? How can I build a model to replicate our success in other states?”

“The larger non-profits can build rainy-day funds and endowments, but if you’re small, it’s tough,” she added. “Because of my background I’m really good at operational efficiency and low-cost options, but if you want to fill the huge need of these services you have to grow.”

Despite the financial headaches that come with the territory of running a small non-profit, Saris finds that her original dream of making a difference is being satisfied.

“What’s most gratifying is seeing the kids graduate from high school,” she said. “It’s my favorite time of year. And now we’re seeing them graduate from college. I feel like they are my kids, and we’re like a second set of parents doing for these kids what I do for mine.”

Salem CyberSpace is currently in need of computers, office supplies and new office space in or near The Point. In-kind donations and volunteers are also always welcome. For more information visit www.salemcyberspace.org.