Last month, Impact America’s President, Sarah Louise (Smith) Adamczyk, informed our Board of Directors that she will soon leave the organization. The decision follows her recent marriage and plan to move full time to the Boston area. While we are delighted for her, we will miss her very much. This note explains how we will manage the leadership transition.
Sarah Louise has been an integral part of the growth and success of Impact America for 13 years. Prior to serving as President, she served as Executive Director, Administrative Director, and SaveFirst Program Coordinator. She has been a tireless leader, implementing structures and policies that have strengthened the nonprofit’s ability to impact local communities. More recently, she guided the team through a strategic planning process, creating a framework to drive the nonprofit’s next phase of growth.
The search for her replacement has already begun. Impact America has retained Koya Leadership Partners to identify a candidate who can build on the organization’s considerable successes. You can find more on the job description and candidate profile here.
In the meantime, Impact America has selected Brooke Bowles to serve as Interim CEO to sustain momentum during the search process. Brooke is a proven leader with over twenty years of experience leading nonprofits and motivating growth in people and teams. Brooke founded and served as Executive Director of Triumph Services from 2007 until 2019, where she developed a nationally recognized model program for individuals with developmental disabilities and grew the organization from a customer base of 16 to 600+ individuals with developmental disabilities in nine counties across the state. She previously served as a Program Coordinator for Glenwood, Inc., where she conducted regular needs assessment and training in all areas of interpersonal and professional skills. Most recently, she has utilized her expertise to deliver outcomes-based support and consultation to a variety of nonprofits in the Birmingham area. You can read more about Brooke’s nonprofit leadership experience here.
To smooth the transition, Sarah Louise has kindly agreed to coordinate development activities through the end of September and to be available on a consulting basis until a permanent CEO is on board. We anticipate that to happen in the New Year.
We look forward to continuing our community partnerships and pursuing our mission of addressing the consequences of poverty through health, economics, and education. We know you will join us in thanking Sarah Louise for her incredible service to families in the Southeast and to Impact America for more than a decade.
For more information, please contact Russell Bannon, Board Chair, at Russell.bannon@bbva.com.
