Stepping away from something you’ve built, nurtured, and led is hard, even when you know it’s time.

Consider the gnawing worry about who takes the helm after you’ve gone. It’s exciting to envision new energy and vision, and it’s also scary.

As I prepare to leave Resolve in April, Sara Shahriari’s appointment as Resolve’s next Executive Director makes that worry disappear. I have known Sara for a long time. She is a person of integrity, creativity, vision, compassion, and clear-eyed pragmatism. She demonstrated leadership prowess in her roles at INN and Georgia Public Broadcasting, and proved herself tenfold during her current tenure with Resolve as its Chief Program Officer.

With her at the executive level and two new hires to soon round out our stellar senior leadership team (which includes Sr. Director of Collaboration Gene Sonn and Director of Community News Danielle Smith), Resolve’s staff and work are going to thrive. Resolve’s Board of Directors is also fully ready to be excellent stewards of Resolve’s mission and vision as the organization enters an era without either co-founder. I worked very hard on board development starting in 2023, and this group is cohesive, skilled, committed, and resilient. 

Since January, Sara and I have been working diligently to prepare her for her new role. Under the guidance of Chris Michael at Collaborations for Change, we are focusing our succession work on knowledge transfer, external relationship hand-offs, and with me providing Sara support in growth areas. Sara is also now making many key strategic, budgetary, and programmatic decisions on behalf of the organization. 

With succession underway, I am beginning to explore my next professional step. Over the last decade, I went from community organizer and freelance reporter to successful founder and seasoned executive leader. I am a highly skilled manager who can handle big vision, small details, and a lot in between. I’ve navigated organizational crises. I lead with my values. I’ve learned when to push and when to let go, to embrace feedback as a gift, to test and iterate, and to take accountability for my mistakes.  

I am excited to leverage these skill sets and others in my career going forward. To that end, I have prepared a document describing what I’m looking to do, and the capacities I hold. I am open to consulting work or full-time roles, with work starting in June 2025. Thanks for giving it a look and for sharing it with your networks. Please reach out with opportunities or to schedule a chat.