Launch

23

May 2023

0

Dear Community Partners and Friends,

We write to share the bittersweet news that our CEO, Dr. Angela Griffin, will be leaving Launch for a new chapter of her leadership journey with another organization. We know in her next role she will continue to be the dynamic, visionary champion for our sector and community she has been over the last three years with us. Thank you, Angela, for your boundless intelligence, passion for this work, and commitment to collaboration.

While no change comes without challenges, the Board of Directors is confident in the bright future of Launch. Angela built upon an already solid foundation at Launch, and we are ready to continue our mission to lead the charge to brilliant outcomes for the children of our community. Angela joined us in June 2020, inheriting a nearly $2M budget deficit as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. With her leadership, Launch maintained services for families, jobs for staff, and financially weathered this existential threat to childcare organizations across the nation.

Angela oversaw the development of internal systems and capacity, increased compensation for our staff, created career pathways, and offered more professional development opportunities. Our racial equity work deepened under Angela’s leadership, for example, we shifted to managing long waitlists by first enrolling those historically furthest from educational justice. Angela was a strong advocate to local governments and funders resulting in significant funding increases, including $400,000 appropriated directly to Launch by the state legislature over the next biennium. She recently led a comprehensive engagement process to write a new, ambitious strategic plan to steer Launch to further our impact by supporting staff, growing programs and services, and engaging our community.

Angela’s last official day at Launch will be June 16th. The Board has secured an interim CEO familiar with Launch who will help our talented executive team keep Launch on course for fantastic summer programming and through the search for a permanent CEO. The Board will use the newly completed Launch Strategic Plan as our blueprint for the search. Your time and engagement with that planning process are an inspiration to us, and we feel committed to finding a leader who will take up the work laid out by our community in the plan.

Please join us for a town hall to hear about our new strategic plan, share your feedback, and get engaged with this exciting next chapter of Launch:

Virtual Town Hall, June 6, 2023 at 6:00PM Register in advance, Zoom link will be emailed after registration.

In-Person Town Hall, June 13, 2023 at 6:30PM at Beacon Hill International School. A light meal will be provided. Register here.

We are excited about the future for Launch that we will all build together, with Angela as a permanent member of our extended family, and continuing to build on the great work of our current staff and sites. Please join us in celebrating all Angela has done in her tenure and sending best wishes for her next role. We’re grateful for your support and ask to continue to count on you during this transition and beyond.

Please reach out with any questions or suggestions. We can be reached at board@launchlearning.org.

With appreciation,

Danya Clevenger & Safi Sadiq, Co-Chairs of the Launch Board of Directors

P.S. If you would like to celebrate Angela by making a donation to Launch toward her vision for a thriving wage for our amazing childcare staff, please do so here!