FamilyWorks recently announced that Marcia Wright-Soika will become their new Executive Director.
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Although FamilyWorks’ operations and services are not back to normal due to the ongoing Covid-19 situation, there will be opportunities for you to meet Marcia as she embarks as FamilyWorks new Executive Director in the months ahead.  

​The FamilyWorks Board of Directors empowered a Succession Committee to lead a rigorous search process with support from Valtas Group and in collaboration with staff. Marcia emerged as the ideal leader for FamilyWorks. 

The Board of Directors of Launch recently announced they had selected Angela Griffin as the next Executive Director.

Angela said, “I believe every child has a special purpose. It is our responsibility to intentionally and diligently cultivate and build their potential so they can fully thrive in life and in community. This starts with ensuring children, youth, and families have equitable access to high quality early learning and school age enrichment experiences. We are uniquely positioned to serve our community during a pandemic that has both exposed the fragility of the childcare industry and how essential childcare is to the rebuilding of our economy.”

Angela joins the Launch team as a visionary and inspirational leader with over 27 years of experience, primarily focused on the development and implementation of early learning, childcare and youth development programs. ​

We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Deborah Jensen as Executive Director of Audubon Washington.
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Deborah has over 25 years of executive experience leading conservation, education and scientific organizations.

​While CEO at the Woodland Park Zoo she led a successful public-private partnership with the city of Seattle, expanded the zoo’s field conservation programs to 35 projects worldwide, created the zoo’s first sustainability plan, and oversaw the opening of Zoomazium the first Leed Gold certified building at any zoo. 

We are pleased to announce that Paula Sardinas has been appointed as the new CEO and President of Big Brothers Big Sisters of Puget Sound. Paula’s selection comes after a rigorous and inclusive search process facilitated by Ed Rogan of the Valtas Group in partnership with a committee of current and former Board Members led by Vice Chair Maurice James.
 
Paula’s personal connection to their mission, her diverse managerial experience, her background serving youth, and her commitment to equity and diversity make her a perfect fit to lead the next era of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

​Helping to build and execute our next five-year strategic plan, innovate their programs, tighten their connection to the communities they serve, and develop and evolve a staff are but a few of the hats she’ll wear as the new CEO & President. 

We are pleased to announce that Valtas Group client Susan G. Komen® has selected Molly O’Connor as the new executive director.

Molly joins their team from Thrive Washington, where her leadership helped thousands of families connect with vital early childhood information and interventions and brought together dozens of state and local organizations to better coordinate and leverage their efforts to support the state’s youngest children.
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She is a great addition to Komen’s mission of fighting breast cancer and ensuring all communities have access to life-saving early detection and treatment support.

We are pleased to announce Dr. Lisa Chin has been selected as Treehouse’s new CEO.

Lisa previously served as President and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of King County and Executive Director of Year Up Puget Sound.

​​Lisa is a visionary with a proven track record as a transformational leader. She’s spent her nonprofit career focused on young people, education equity and systems change work that provides opportunity to those who need it most. She has all the qualities that will benefit the children, youth and young adults in foster care as Treehouse prepares to weather new challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

We are pleased to announce Lauren Sato has been selected as Ada Developers Academy’s new CEO.

Lauren recently served as Vice President of Revenue at The Riveter.  In addition to a variety of roles in technology and impact investing organizations, Lauren spent five years building YearUp Puget Sound, a workforce development program that served as a model for Ada in the early days.  

​​Lauren was selected after considering candidates who represented a diverse array of backgrounds and lived and learned experiences. Hiring someone to represent Ada as their next CEO allowed them to make decisions which emphasized their values of equality and inclusion. It was amazing to see how passionate the candidates and community are about Ada’s future.

We are pleased to announce Deidre McCormack Martin has been selected as Family Law CASA’s new Executive Director.

Family Law CASA’s Board of Directors is excited to work with Deidre’s expertise and leadership.  Family Law CASA is committed to protecting children and Deidre shares that passion and commitment.

​Deidre has over 20 years of non-profit experience with 15 years in leadership roles advocating and providing services to youth. 

Valtas Group is pleased to announce the appointment of Kendra Mirasol as CEO of VitalTalk
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VitalTalk’s vision is that every seriously ill patient will be surrounded by clinicians who can skillfully discuss what matters most and match care to values. They teach communication skills to empower both individuals and institutions.

​The organization’s evidence-based training methods include intensive role-play with actors, and clinicians rapidly learn how to communicate effectively and compassionately in a safe environment. Typical training participants include doctors, social and hospice workers, chaplains and other healthcare professionals.

After a thorough and inclusive search for a new CEO that yielded a diverse field of very strong candidates, it was recently announced that Alyssa Macy will be the new CEO of Washington Environmental Council and Washington Conservation Voters.
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Alyssa brings a strong professional background in political action, social justice, and tribal leadership, grounded in a deep, personal connection to our land, our water, and the communities they sustain.

​Alyssa comes from the Confederated Tribes of Warm Springs Reservation of Oregon, where she served as Chief Operations Officer for the tribal government. As COO she was responsible for managing a $35-million budget, and led strategic planning, communications, legislative policy, and fundraising efforts.