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Dear
Service and Social Innovation Leaders,
As
we approach the January 20th transition, I want to update you on leadership
changes that will soon take place at CNCS and give my warmest thanks to our
network of State Commissions, grantees, and partners for your extraordinary
commitment to service and social innovation that is making a powerful and
lasting impact in our nation.
I
am very proud of what we have all accomplished together over the last five
years. Thanks to your commitment and
hard work, we are strong and poised for continued success in the next
Administration. Our 2016 funding was the second highest in history; there is
growing evidence about our impact; our grantees, members, and volunteers are
meeting needs in 50,000 locations around the country; our programs leveraged a record
amount of outside resources, and there is greater public awareness and
bipartisan support for our work than ever before. I am so grateful to all of you for making
this happen!
With
concurrence and support from our Board Chair, I am pleased to announce that Kim
Mansaray will serve as Acting CEO. Kim has served CNCS with distinction over the
past 17 years in numerous roles, including AmeriCorps Recruitment Manager, Chief
of Staff for AmeriCorps, Acting Chief Operating Officer, Deputy Chief of Staff,
and her current position as Chief of Program Operations. Kim is an
experienced manager who is well respected by our grantees and partners in the
field. I am very confident that Kim will excel in this role and will lead a
smooth transition.
To
support Kim, Mikel Herrington will move from his current role as Office of
Field Liaison Director to Acting Chief of Staff. Mikel brings more than
15 years of experience in a variety of positions at CNCS, as well as four years
with Peace Corps. Mal Coles will assume the role of Acting Director of Field
Liaison while continuing his leadership as the Atlantic Area Manager. Mal will be well supported by Cindy Salavantis
and the rest of the Field Liaison team. Erin McGrath, who did a great job as
New Jersey State Director and more recently as Deputy Director of Senior Corps,
will become Acting Director of Senior Corps. To see an organizational chart showing the
changes that will become effective on January 20, please click here.
As
happens during every transition, our discretionary leaders will be moving to
new positions outside our agency. Several
of these transitions have already occurred, and the rest will be in the coming
days. I am grateful for the outstanding service
of our discretionary leaders who have helped advance national service and
social innovation in so many ways.
- I want to say special thanks to my extraordinary Chief of Staff Asim Mishra. From representing us at White House meetings and advancing our opportunity youth work to implementing our priorities and managing a fast-moving CEO’s office, Asim has been a trusted advisor to me and strong implementer of our vision. As an AmeriCorps alum, he truly has lived his pledge to get things done for America!
- Deputy Chief of Staff John Kelly was one of the first discretionary leaders to arrive and last to leave - and national service is much better for it! His vision, creative thinking, and negotiation skills were the secret to the success of our partnership strategy that generated $194 million in investments from outside partners to support 14,000 national service positions. I am grateful that Erin Dahlin, Deputy Chief of Program Operations - who worked closely with John to develop many of these partnerships - will take the lead on this work going forward.
- Chief of External Affairs Ted Miller turned major opportunities—from the 20th anniversary of AmeriCorps to numerous White House-related announcements and service projects—into milestone moments that strengthened the national service brand, established a cohesive education and outreach strategy, and quadrupled the size of our digital community. Deputy Chief Marc Young will step into the acting role, using his extensive communications experience in the U.S. military and his two years at CNCS to lead this team of external affairs pros.
- Max Finberg has brought great energy, ideas, and passion to his leadership of AmeriCorps VISTA and its critical poverty-fighting mission. Deputy Director Eileen Conoboy - a VISTA alum and returned Peace Corps Volunteer with more than 15 years of professional experience at Peace Corps and CNCS - will continue to make great things happen as Acting Director.
These
transition-related changes are in addition to those we previously announced: Angela
Williams as Acting General Counsel; Jennifer Bastress Tahmasebi as Acting
Director of AmeriCorps State and National; Gina Cross as Acting Director of AmeriCorps
NCCC; and Tess Mason-Elder as Acting Director of Government Relations. Sandy Scott will continue his key roles of advising
the CEO on strategy, stakeholder relations, and communications and serving as
the agency’s liaison to State Service Commissions.
It
is a personal delight to have this team of dedicated career professionals in
place as CNCS starts the next chapter of its amazing journey. I am incredibly blessed to have had the
opportunity to work with all of you over the past five years. The transition promises to be smooth and
operations will continue to run effectively as we wait on new leadership from
the Trump Administration.
Thanks
for your commitment to solving problems, expanding opportunity, and strengthening
our communities. I will always be a
champion for CNCS, our extraordinary grantees and partners, and the millions of
citizens who get things done to make our country better.
Warmest Regards,
 Wendy Spencer, CEO
Corporation for National and Community Service
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