Dear TEAK Community,
After nearly four years of dedicated service, Dr. Denise Brown-Allen has shared her plans to step down from her role as Executive Director of The TEAK Fellowship by the end of the calendar year as she seeks to create time for her community service commitments closer to her home, return to teaching, and to be more available for her family. Denise is committed to continuing in her role through the appointment of her successor and assisting with the transition of leadership.
As we prepare for this transition, we want to express our sincere thanks to Denise for her unwavering commitment to TEAK and our Fellows and families. Denise has always led with the best interest of the organization in mind. As a wise and warm leader and mentor to many, she has dedicated her professional career to nurturing the growth of students, staff, and communities. During her tenure at TEAK, Denise successfully navigated the organization through the end of the pandemic, oversaw the continued expansion of TEAK’s enrollment, and introduced new programs to deepen Fellow support, broaden their career horizons, and enhance connection among TEAK’s growing student and alumni community. We are grateful for Denise’s leadership. She will be missed, but her mark on TEAK will continue to live on and carry us forward.
We want to personally assure you that TEAK is prepared for this next phase. We are working closely with the Board of Directors and staff to ensure a smooth and healthy transition period. The Board of Directors has engaged the executive search and leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart to support our search for TEAK’s next leader and has assembled an internal search committee. David Wick and Aaron Mieszczanski from Spencer Stuart’s Education & Social Impact practice will partner with the TEAK Executive Director
Search Committee:
Search Committee
John Green, TEAK Board of Directors, Former Executive Director
Robert Kalsow-Ramos, TEAK Board of Directors Co-Chair
Kim Koopersmith, TEAK Board of Directors
Christina Seda-Acosta, TEAK Board of Directors, TEAK Class 2 Alumna
Matthew Stopnik, TEAK Board of Directors Co-Chair
The Search Committee welcomes input from the TEAK community to inform the work ahead to select the best leader to carry forward TEAK’s vision and mission. Please feel free to reach out to the Search Committee and the Spencer Stuart team at any time during the search process at [email protected] with comments or candidate nominations. This inbox will be monitored regularly by the Spencer Stuart team.
Thank you in advance for your engagement and ongoing support in this important process.
Sincerely,
Robert Kalsow-Ramos
Board of Directors Co-Chair
Matthew Stopnik
Board of Directors Co-Chair