Leadership Update at Teen Success, Inc.

Dear Friends,

Like you, I have spent a lot of time over the past year reflecting on so many things, including what my family needs. The pandemic brought many challenges for working parents, but also allowed us to spend more time with our children. Through all of this, I realized that I needed to make some changes to better prioritize my family. It is therefore, with mixed emotions, that I will soon be moving to the East Coast to pursue new opportunities for myself and my children. The choice to make this move hasn’t been an easy one, but the past year has made it clear that this change is necessary for my family to thrive.

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I am so grateful for your support and dedication to the young families Teen Success, Inc. partners with. Together, we have created an incredible program of comprehensive wrap-around services for both young mothers and their children, supporting their education and upward economic mobility. I am so proud of everything our community and young families have accomplished since I joined Teen Success, Inc. in early 2015.

I will continue to remain involved and support the success of our young families however I can. The Board of Directors has appointed fellow Board Member, Sandra Flores, to act as Interim Executive Director starting August 2nd, while they conduct a search for a new Executive Director. Both Sandra and the new Executive Director will continue focusing on supporting young mothers through post-secondary education and ensuring their children are learning and thriving as well.

Sandra has been a longtime supporter of Teen Success, Inc. and has over 15-years of experience developing strong community partnerships throughout California and advocating alongside communities of color to advance equity. Along with our entire Board of Directors, led by Ellen Moir and Madonna Bolano, Sandra is committed to supporting the organization and our stakeholders through this transition.

I have cherished every moment at Teen Success and am proud of all the new supports we have put in place for young families, including: educational stipends for all young mothers who want to attend post-secondary education, a focus on early development and interventions for their children, and during this time of COVID and economic unrest—direct assistance to ensure our young families have their basic needs met.

The hardest part of this move is leaving the people who put their heart and soul into this work. It has been an amazing privilege to work with you, our incredible staff, and the young mothers who inspired me every single day to be the best mom I can be for my children.

I am going to miss this community, but I know you will enjoy getting to know Sandra. As always, the team at Teen Success, Inc. is here to support you as you support our young families.

Sincerely,

Karin Kelley
Executive Director