Letter From the Executive Director

May 2009

Re: Leadership Transition at Oakland Schools Foundation

Dear Colleagues and Supporters,

After three successful years at the helm of the Oakland Small Schools Foundation — now the Oakland Schools Foundation (OSF) — my time as Executive Director will soon be coming to an end. Having fulfilled my commitment to the Board of Directors in 2006 to serve as the ED for three years, I am looking forward to taking a private sabbatical to re-charge my batteries after many years in the trenches as an Executive Director (first at the Oakland Youth Chorus, then at OSF.) As a first step toward this transition, which is planned for April 2010, I am reaching out to our loyal stakeholders and supporters to inform you of my decision and answer any questions or concerns that you might have. Knowing that finding the right person to assume the Executive Director position is critical for the continued success of OSF, we are planning to begin the search for my successor this month.

Although the planned transition is not for another 10 months, I am confident that I will be leaving at a time when OSF has never been stronger. We have implemented great operational systems and have just completed an ambitious strategic plan that positions OSF to continue to build upon its demonstrated track record of success. The OSF staff team has been informed of the transition and is well prepared to ensure a smooth transition and continued excellent service for our school customers. Finally, each member of our Board of Directors has remained steadfast in his or her commitment to the organization and mission.

My tenure at OSF has been exciting and rewarding, and I will leave with only positive feelings and pride in our accomplishments. The organization has grown beyond some people’s expectations, but not mine: OSF is perfectly positioned – in this time and this place -- to provide essential, high-quality services for schools and help build schools’ capacity to create the right conditions for all of our kids to be successful, achieving students. Since its founding, OSF has been built around solid planning, meaningful accountability systems and metrics, and a cohesive mission and vision shared and executed by a coherent, well-trained team. I am confident that these characteristics will ensure sustainability for the organization for years to come.

If you have questions or concerns about this transition, please feel free to contact me or members of our Personnel Committee or our Board Chair listed below.

Personnel Committee/ED Search:
Vanessa Coleman, vanessatcoleman@gmail.com
Jonathan Klein, jonathan@smallschoolsfoundation.org
Brian Rogers, brogers@rogersfoundation.org

I thank you for your current and continued support of OSF, the leading public school support organization in Oakland.

Sincerely,

Holly Babe Faust
holly@oaklandschoolsfoundation.org