[Dialogue] An announcement from the President of ICA's Board of Directors

[David Dunn]

Greetings ICA colleagues,
 
The cat is way, way out of the bag already. Still, I am extremely pleased to
formally announce that Elizabeth Houde has accepted the offer of employment
to serve as ICA¹s Chief Executive. She¹ll be starting August 1, 2005.

Betsy Houde (pronounced ³Hood²) will bring to ICA over 30 years experience
in international NGO management and leadership, most recently as the
European and Russian Regional Director for Kidsave International. During her
work for Kidsave she has been splitting her time between Moscow, Russia, and
her home in Tempe, Arizona.

Betsy also brings past experience as an executive director of a Washington,
D.C. based non-profit, and is especially strong in financial management,
grants management, and social marketing. She is energized by the strength
she sees in ICA¹s core programs and the potential for ICA to make an even
greater impact in the future.

Betsy¹s arrival marks a new beginning for ICA, yet one that is firmly
grounded in our extraordinary history and the participatory processes we
have pioneered. Though you can expect to see both large and small changes in
ICA in the coming months and years, much will remain familiar, including a
series of events around the country this fall.

I envision the initial weeks of Betsy¹s service being an active dialogue of
mutual learning. This fall we will hold events in cities around the US to
introduce you and Betsy to each other. Please share generously your story
about ICA and your hopes for our future. Please be open to considering new
ideas about ICA programs and initiatives as well.

Following three rounds of interviews and reference checks (which were simply
glowing!), Betsy spent a day with the Board of Directors at our most recent
meeting in Phoenix. She told me afterwards that she was even more excited by
the prospect of working with ICA after she experienced us first hand!

You'll find Betsy's photo at www.ica-usa.org with a link to our press
release announcing Betsy's arrival. Join me in welcoming Betsy to ICA!

Dick Wilkinson, President


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[a footnote]

The Board of Directors and its Executive Committee have been working on this
executive search for many months. In the last several months, our colleague
and Board Treasurer Ken Gilbert has taken on the role of Interim Executive
Director to help both staff and board prepare for the arrival of the first
ever professional nonprofit manager in the history of the ICA. In every
respect it has been an exciting ride.

You'll be able to learn more in the upcoming Initiatives newsletter and on
our web site, as well as meeting Betsy in person this fall.

David Dunn, Director of Publishing, ICA USA