Leadership Announcement

To my valued supporters and partners,

Fourteen years ago, I founded The Mockingbird Society to ensure that our state's most vulnerable children, youth and families had the support necessary to be safe, stable and successful.

Since that time, our organization has become a statewide advocacy leader. We have engaged more than 450 foster and homeless youth every year, every one of whom has helped us successfully advocate for 25 major legislative reforms. I am proud of all we have accomplished, yet the future holds even greater promise. We have a robust, active Board of Directors; a dynamic and skilled staff; proven programs; a healthy financial position; and a dedicated community of supporters.

I have never been more proud of our accomplishments or more excited for our future as an organization. It is because of this strong position that I have decided to step down as Executive Director in the summer of 2015.

This is not a decision made lightly. Leadership changes are a natural part of the evolution of any organization, and I make this announcement now so our team can adequately plan and capitalize on our strong position. Our Board of Directors has appointed a Transition Committee to help prepare the organization for the selection of my successor, and we expect the formal search process to launch in January.

As we prepare to hand over leadership, I want to elevate the critical work we must accomplish in the coming months: we continue to expand the Mockingbird Family Model; we will fight for youth with documented medical conditions to have access to Extended Foster Care; and we must protect funding for foster care and homeless youth programs in the upcoming legislative session. I intend to boldly lead Mockingbird over the next year as we thoughtfully advocate for current issues and prepare for the agency's future.

Thank you for your unwavering support for our children, youth and families.

Gratefully yours,

Jim Theofelis
Executive Director and Founder
206.407.2131