Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank has a New Interim Executive Director: Laura Skelton

​After 11 years as Executive Director of Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, Cori Walters stepped down from her role, leaving big shoes to fill. In her time with Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank, she helped to facilitate monumental changes to make the organization more successful in its mission to provide basic needs for the community and promote self-sufficiency. This has resulted in a strong foundation that grounds the staff team, board, and strategic partners in a firm belief that the future will be successful for Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank. 

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In the spirit of continuing to put the people they serve first, the organization decided to bring in a highly experienced interim Executive Director to keep this momentum going. They have chosen to lean on Valtas Group to provide them with a highly experienced interim candidate to fill the role while they search for the perfect full-time replacement for Cori.

Laura Skelton has taken up the reins to ensure that anyone in the community facing food insecurity is offered the resources, tools, and dignity needed to meet their basic needs. As a Little Free Pantry steward, Laura is a great fit for the role because she cares so deeply about helping neighbors across the community.  

About Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank

As the name would imply, Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank provides food, clothing, hygiene items, and other basic necessities to hundreds of families each week. Their emphasis is on fresh, local produce but they also provide things like household items, diapers, toiletries, and case management resources for the people who need them most. In fact, 60% of the people they serve are children and seniors. For this reason, they have specialty programs aimed at their largest demographics, such as “Groceries to Go (G2G),” “Tools 4 School,” “Summer Lunch,” and “Lunch for the Break.” Summer Lunch and Lunch for the Break are two of their most widely publicized programs. During school breaks, Issaquah Food & Clothing Bank provides lunches to children who are not at school to receive free meals to lessen the burden on the families that support them. And their efforts have not gone unnoticed! In 2021 they won the Best of Issaquah award for their hard work!

About Laura Skelton

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​Our own Laura Skelton is a Senior Associate with a decade and a half of experience in the nonprofit sector here in Seattle. Her experience in leading organizations through transitional periods as well as financial recovery phases makes her a great fit for nonprofits that are going through challenging times. In the interim roles she has occupied, she has always tackled new challenges in close partnership with the staff around her, encouraging their professional growth and development.

She is a passionate advocate for both environmental sustainability and social responsibility, and her resume reflects that. She has contributed to those efforts through full-time, interim, consultant, and board member roles at a number of organizations across the Pacific Northwest. Most notably, prior to joining the Valtas Group, Laura was the Executive Director of Washington Physicians for Social responsibility.

She holds a bachelor’s degree in Ecology and Society from Hendrix College and a master’s degree in Ecology from The University of Georgia.

Connect with Laura >

About Valtas Group​
Valtas Group works as Interim Executive Directors, supporting organizations in times of transition and helps organizations navigate uncertainty during leadership change. We lead the search process in partnership with the board and staff leadership, as consultants for recruiting and search to support organizations identify the ideal Executive Director or leader.
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Furthermore, Valtas Group partners with board members and senior nonprofit leaders on a variety of strategic consulting assignments. We offer comprehensive resources to guide your transition needs.  Contact us to learn about our executive interim and placement services.

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