KITH Director Jan Dickerman Retiring

Editor’s Note: The following is a press release from .

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KITH Executive Director, Jan Dickerman, will be retiring in September. The KITH Board of Directors acknowledges Jan’s contributions to the agency since she joined as Executive Director in March 2008.  “KITH has made significant gains during Jan’s tenure,” Ron Olsen, KITH’s Board President stated.
 
Utilizing her extensive experience and connections in the housing and human services field, Jan has developed an effective Case Management Program and strengthened KITH’s Housing Programs. Jan piloted KITH’s new Welcome Home family rent subsidy and case management program in 2010. The program continues in 2012 with funding from Opus Community Foundation, Redwood Community Church, the Wahle Family Foundation and other funders.  Jan fortified KITH’s volunteer program, working with United Way and 501 Commons on a Volunteer Improvement Program Grant in 2011 and hiring KITH’s first paid Volunteer Coordinator in 2012.

Jan has been very busy and effective stewarding KITH’s assets. After having an assessment made of KITH’s properties, Jan managed the process of securing needed exterior renovations to KITH’s Salisbury Court property. She’s also gained community support to upgrade heating, plumbing and cabinetry in Salisbury Court apartments, with help from countless volunteers, businesses and community organizations.

During her tenure, KITH retired the debt on Petter Court II in 2011, and has strengthened the agency’s financial position, increasing funding while lowering costs during this tough economic climate. Under Jan’s leadership KITH has also started two new programs for socially conscious investors, “Lease on Life,” in which investors purchase a condo and lease it to KITH who manages the property, and “Lending Hope,” in which investors loan funds for purchase of condos for KITH to own and use to house homeless families on the eastside.

Jan expressed great confidence in “a very strong staff and effective staff team,” and in KITH’s Board of Directors to build on the agency’s current stability and to accomplish the strategic directions which the Board has set for the agency, including the focus to serve more homeless families. KITH’s Board Search Committee has retained a consulting firm and is in the process of screening and interviewing candidates for KITH’s next Executive Director. “The Board is grateful that Jan is leaving the agency in a strong position for future growth,” Olsen said.

Founded in 1989 (as Kirkland Interfaith Transitions in Housing), KITH is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization which assists individuals and families on the Eastside who are facing a homelessness crisis by providing housing and services to help families become stable and self-sufficient.  www.kithcares.org