Meet our new Executive Director!

Meet our new Executive Director!

Youth advocates Jacob, Christopher, and Shana welcome Annie (center)

Greetings,

On behalf of The Mockingbird Society's Board of Directors, I'm excited to announce Annie Blackledge as our new Executive Director.

Annie comes to the organization having dedicated her entire career to helping children and youth from foster care, as well as those who have experienced homelessness. Her unique blend of experience – from working on the front lines in nonprofit service delivery at Community Youth Services, to helping develop education policy at the U.S. Department of Education in Washington D.C. – will no doubt help shape The Mockingbird Society's vision in the years ahead. Here in Washington state, she has also worked for Children's Administration, Casey Family Programs, and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.

In addition to her impressive résumé, Annie's experience personifies all that Mockingbird values. Annie grew up in foster care. She experienced the life-changing impact of one caring adult who changed her trajectory, and she also experienced the challenges that many of our young leaders face.

We couldn't be more thrilled to have Annie join the Mockingbird team. The board, staff, and a hiring panel including external stakeholders were in strong agreement in selecting Annie. She will begin her tenure on January 11, 2016.
As we begin our new chapter with Annie's leadership, we'd like to pay tribute to the outstanding interim leadership provided by Laura Pierce. Laura has provided thoughtful direction to our staff and has helped advance our work in meaningful ways during her six-month assignment. We look forward to staying in touch with Laura through her consulting practice.

In closing, I wish you and your family a joyous holiday season!

Warmly,

Hickory Gateless
President, Board of Directors