KIAC’s Executive Director Search Update

Dear Friends of KIAC,

In January of this year, I began my role as Interim Executive Director at KIAC. It has truly been my absolute privilege and pleasure working towards KIAC’s mission, both these last seven months and for the prior two years as a legal volunteer and member of the Board of Directors. My time as Interim ED will be coming to an end this fall, and we are excitedly beginning the search for KIAC’s permanent Executive Director. 

In my application and during my interviews back in December, I had expressly committed to accomplishing certain goals by June as KIAC continued its movement from being a volunteer-led to a staff-led and volunteer-supported organization. They include:

• Operations and finance: Completed a smooth transition of operations including onboarding accountants, streamlining payroll and front office practices, and setting up controls for payments and receipts of monies into KIAC.
• Fundraising and donor engagement: Upgraded to a new donor management system, continued successful fundraising (including a record-breaking Kitsap Great Give), launched a regular communication strategy via emails and social media, executed the 2021 Annual Report and completed numerous grant applications.
• Long term strategy and planning: Applied to and accepted by the Service Corps Project with the UW Foster School of Business which conducted a study on potential fundraising strategies for KIAC. The valuable learnings from this study will be incorporated into the fund development plans for 2023 and beyond.
• Transition from volunteer-led to staff-led and volunteer-supported: KIAC’s staff has grown these last seven months with the addition of an Administrative Assistant and a Paralegal. We are working on a comprehensive benefits package and are making strides to secure funding to attract and retain staff through livable wages. 

We are working on plans to ensure a seamless transition later this year. In collaboration with KIAC’s Leadership Team, the ED Search Committee has worked thoughtfully and deliberately to decide on the skillset and characteristics most necessary for this role. You can see the job description and posting here.

We will be advertising this position on a variety of platforms, but we know that KIAC’s next Executive Director might very well come from within the partners who make this work possible and the communities we serve and are accountable to. Please feel free to share this opportunity with those you know.

I know that KIAC is in capable hands as we begin this transition. My time with KIAC both as staff and volunteer have been the most rewarding and productive, and I remain grateful for this opportunity.

With gratitude,

Thangam Chandrasekaran, Interim Executive Director