Pros
Aurora (aka iNACOL) has an important mission and impact on education. Felt like I was part of a movement on the leading edge of education innovation, and learned so much from members who are leaders and practitioners in the field. Working at Aurora gave me an opportunity to make a real impact through research, policy, and the conference. With one exception (see cons), I enjoyed working with everyone at the organization. It was one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. In retrospect, it is very sad to realize how harmful working there was to my mental health. I fell into the classic trap of sacrifice to the cause. The pay and benefits are also really decent for the sector and the organization has been completely virtual almost since its founding so you can have a good work-life balance unless you're in a position that requires a lot of travel.
Cons
The CEO berates and micromanages staff constantly and gaslights anyone who attempts to stand up for themselves or others to the point that I and my colleagues began to believe that there was something truly wrong with our work, our writing, or our professionalism. It's classic emotional abuser behavior. Years later, I am still trying to shake the impact on my sense of self-worth as a professional. The board has sadly failed to hold this leader accountable despite years of this behavior. For years I saw the CEO blackball anyone who left and didn't completely change sectors or careers with insinuations about their performance to staff, the board, and partners to the point that rumors would spread throughout the field about them. I should not have been surprised when the same thing happened to me. This organization has good people working there and an important mission, but the way it is led is not ultimately sustainable. I hope the board and funders realize this as it's the only way that change can happen and make it a healthy place to work.