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Announcement of Executive Director Transition

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(*To watch this announcement in a video, click HERE)

“Caminante, no hay camino, se hace camino al andar.” 

(Traveler, there is no road; you make your own path as you walk.)

-Antonio Machado

Dear Amigas, Friends & Partners:

As the spring season brings new energy, so too does La Casa! As the Board Chair, on behalf of the Board of Directors, I am excited to share some big news: this fall, Laura Armstrong, current Executive Director, will be stepping aside & moving out of her current role as Executive Director so that La Casa Hogar can be led by someone directly from the community we serve. We are so grateful for Laura’s leadership over the last six years and value the great work that Laura has done with La Casa Hogar. She has put every drop of her passion and effort into this organization, and we deeply thank her for that. Laura has also been a strong champion for equity and a courageous advocate for Representative Leadership. So, with her help, the help of staff, students, board members and supporters, we are working together towards this goal of having more representative leadership for our ED position. We are walking this path because we strongly believe in and know the skills of the community we serve and that those who are being served must be central to decisions made, express their voices, hold leadership positions, be their own heroes, and have representation to inspire our current and future generations. While no transition is easy, we are working together hand in hand with different stakeholders of our organization to make this leadership transition smooth and aligned with our values and mission. We appreciate, in advance, your support in this transition, and we hope you can hold our hand and walk together with us in this new path, in this new journey. Read below for a note from Laura:

“Friends! I am thrilled to share this transition news with you because it is an important and exciting time for La Casa. La Casa values equity and representative leadership– meaning those in decision-making roles reflect the identities and life experiences of those we serve. More than half of our staff began as students of La Casa themselves. Our community, students, families and staff know best what they need and envision for the future and how to implement strategies to get there. During the last six years, I have been and continue to be acutely aware that my presence in this Executive role creates a ‘glass ceiling’– a limit– on La Casa’s students’ and team members’ opportunities in their leadership, and on what’s possible for the larger community we serve. It’s critical to La Casa’s mission that our students can see elements of their own identities and life experiences reflected in the Executive Director.
My six years of partnering with La Casa’s students, staff, community, Board, and each of you, have been transformative; it has been a joy to implement the community change, energy and celebration we envision together, and I am deeply proud of our collective work to create a healthy and thriving organization that is well-positioned to dive more deeply into our strategy and mission implementation! I am in the process of determining next steps for myself and embracing that spaciousness with gratitude and openness. Gracias, community, for the ways you’ve welcomed and supported me, and gracias for the ways you will welcome and support this exciting transformation and next chapter for La Casa Hogar!

Please read below for next steps and how you can stay connected!

Next Steps in the Transition:

La Casa created a Transition Team this winter consisting of students, staff, board members & volunteers. You can meet & read about them HERE. After conducting a collaborative feedback process, the Transition Team recommended to the Board of Directors to first do an internal search among existing staff to select the next Executive Director. The Board unanimously approved this recommendation. Six staff members have been nominated– a fantastic celebration of the leadership that exists within! The Transition Team envisions that the new Executive Director will be determined this summer, and the actual transfer of the position will occur in early Fall. Laura is committed to an intentional, transparent transition process & will continue working in the background as needed after the position change to finish projects & tie up loose ends during the last quarter of the year.

How can you support La Casa during the transition?

  1. Express Support! If you’d like to express support for an existing staff member to become the next Executive Director, please email the Transition Team at info@lacasahogar.org!
  2. Invest in La Casa financially during this transition! Send a check to 106 S. 6th Street, Yakima WA 98901, or click here to give online.
  3. Spread the excitement! We are thrilled about this next chapter as La Casa more fully embodies its mission and values, so please feel free to share this newsletter with your networks & others who will join us!
  4. Engage! Do you have questions? Are you considering a similar transition & want to exchange thoughts? We have designed a process centered around transparency & equity; if you want to talk more, feel free to email the Transition Team at info@lacasahogar.org. We are happy to share about our process & the values guiding it!

Gracias for your support,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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