To our amazing community of LIFTers-
This coming year is a particularly special one for LIFT, as we mark 20 years of partnership with families in communities across the country. I am so proud of all that we have accomplished over the last two decades with your help. LIFT is now a demonstrably high-impact and values-driven organization. Our work is bolstered by a first class team, our finances are in great shape, and we are well-positioned to step into the next 20 years of significantly expanded reach and national leadership. I had always hoped that our 20th anniversary would be the right time to pass the torch to a new leader, and I’m pleased to announce that I’ve decided we’re ready to take that important step forward. This milestone year will also be my last serving as LIFT’s CEO.
I have worked closely with LIFT’s Board of Directors and Leadership Team to craft a strong succession plan. Today, our Board Search Committee, in partnership with On-Ramps, a NYC-based executive search firm, will launch a national search to identify LIFT’s next CEO. The search will be open to internal and external candidates with a focus on identifying the best, most qualified and diverse set of candidates possible. Please help us by passing the job description along to your networks.
We expect to name a new CEO by January, and I will actively support a successful transition through our fiscal year, at which point I will assume the title of Founder and Senior Advisor. In the meantime, I am focused on my current CEO responsibilities and pushing forward our ambitious goals for FY’19. I plan to relish every precious moment of this next year.
As for me, after we celebrate our 20th next May*, I look forward to taking some time off to travel, spend time with my family, and explore what’s next in my work to advance racial, economic and social justice.
I founded LIFT on my 19th birthday, and it has been the privilege of my life to grow up with this wonderful organization and work side-by-side with so many incredible people like you. My best teachers have been our superhero member families, who give everything they’ve got every day to create better lives for themselves and their children–something I understand much more deeply now, as a mother of three. This important, life-changing work must and will continue; the country has never needed LIFT more than it does right now.
With gratitude and love,
Kirsten E. Lodal
CEO & Co-Founder
LIFT
*Save the Date: LIFT’s 20th Anniversary Celebration will be held May 16, 2019 in Washington, DC. More details to come. We hope to see you all there!