KITH Cares’ executive director, Jan Dickerman, has announced she will officially retire between the end of September and early October.
“It has been a real privilege to be here at KITH and be able to guide the organization for these last almost five years,” said Dickerman. “And I’m really happy I’ve been able to accomplish the things that I feel that I’ve set out to do.”
Dickerman started her social-work career in 1980 and has been with KITH since March 2008. During her time with KITH, she created many housing programs within the Kirkland-based homeless agency.
Kirkland Interfaith Transition in Housing is a nonprofit organization, which began more than 20 years ago with the goal to help homeless families. Dickerman estimates KITH helped just under 50 families last year, half of which were previous Kirkland residents.
Some of its major programs include Welcome Home, Lease on Life, Lending Hope and their Case Management Program.
KITH helps people through its leadership and organization, but Dickerman said the nonprofit wouldn’t be where it is today without its many donors, investors, volunteers and resources.
Lease on Life allows investors to purchase a condominium, lease it back to KITH for 10 years, and receive a dividend from KITH for the investment. Dickerman said KITH closed a deal two weeks ago with their first investors, Mark and Sue Shinstrom and said that she hopes that program will expand.
“I think that KITH has really stabilized within the last few years and now we’re in a period of potential growth,” said Dickerman. “I would like to see the new executive director be able to take the organization up to that next level.”
And that includes serving more people. But with that goal in mind, she does acknowledge collecting enough resources will always be a challenge.
KITH’s Board Search Committee is in the process of screening and interviewing candidates for the executive director position.
“The Board is grateful that Jan is leaving the agency in a strong position for future growth,” said Ron Olsen, KITH’s Board of Directors president.
Dickerman plans on attending KITH’s last big event, the annual Autumn Celebration: Creating Abundance, Sunday, Oct. 7. The proceeds from the $75 tickets will benefit KITH and will be held at the Mercer Island Community and Events Center.
Upon retirement, Dickerman and her husband will move from their home in Juanita to Arizona. She has lived in Kirkland for 20 years, and although she looks forward to Arizona’s heat, she said she’ll miss Lake Washington the most.
