18 Dec 2019 |
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Dear Community Partners and Friends:
I am writing to share that Brianna Jackson is transitioning out of her role as Executive Director of Launch at the end of January. This is very bittersweet for our organization – in her more than six years as Executive Director and a total of two decades at Launch she has made a great impact – yet we are also excited for her new opportunity. We feel confident that though she will not be on site, Brianna will be a part of Launch’s work and a supporter for a long time to come.
Brianna has truly lived our mission and values since she first joined Launch in 1998. Under her leadership, Launch strengthened its reputation for delivering high quality, culturally responsive, equitable programming that put children and their families first. Brianna developed organizational capacity to support growth to new sites and a budget that nearly doubled in size by building a strong board, crafting an ambitious strategic plan, successfully leading the agency through rebranding, and using a racial equity lens as Launch began its first fundraising efforts. During Brianna’s tenure, Launch took a leadership role in our sector by actively participating in local program-quality and collective-action initiatives. She worked closely with incredible partners like the City of Seattle, School’s Out Washington, and Seattle Public Schools, and dedicated significant amounts of time to be present at various tables to listen, encourage, and work collaboratively.
Thank you, Brianna, for your tireless leadership, unwavering dedication to Launch’s children, families, staff, and community, and deep commitment to racial equity and educational justice. We are grateful for how you have “led the charge” at Launch and know you will continue to make a positive difference for our greater Seattle community.
Though our organization will certainly miss having Brianna serve in this role, the Board is confident that Launch will continue to grow into our mission and values. We are in a solid financial position and are staffed with smart, committed experts in early learning and youth development. To support our ongoing work, we have engaged a top local firm to place an experienced Interim Executive Director with Launch as soon as possible. The Interim and this firm will provide guidance as Launch conducts a search to find our new permanent Executive Director. We look forward to sharing more information about how our community can inform the scope and direction of this search process, and then how to engage with the search in the coming months.
In a time of transition we are grateful for the amazing network of Launch’s partners and friends, and know that the organization will emerge stronger because of your continued support. We are excited about this new chapter for Launch and the continued commitment Launch has to our kids and families.
Sincerely,
Danya Clevenger
President, Launch Board of Directors
Brianna and Launch staff members advocating in 2016 at the state legislature on behalf of children and families.