A letter from Sharon Papo, Executive Director
To My Wonderful Community,
The last eight years at The Diversity Center has been a time of great growth and powerful impact. I am proud of what I accomplished during this time, in partnership with the board, staff, and volunteers.
After thoughtful contemplation, I am writing to let you know that I am resigning from my Executive Director position.
As I look back over the last eight years, I believe that I have accomplished what I came here to do—build a strong and impactful organization. Together with all of you, we have tripled our budget, tripled our staff, run a successful capital campaign, and purchased our permanent home. We have created a strong strategic plan, added two programs, deepened our programming and impact in Watsonville, provided over 700 Triangle Speaker panels and trainings, hosted a Race and Racism Summit, and sued the federal government over a racist/sexist/homophobic/transphobic executive order.
The time has come for me to step aside, creating an intentional space for intersectional leadership to step forward. In my next professional adventure, I will be looking for a role that offers more flexibility—something that a committed ED role does not allow me as a parent with young kids.
As we move forward into the new year, The Diversity Center has a strong fiscal foundation. I deeply wish for the Diversity Center’s continued success and will continue on through the end of the year to support a leadership transition.
It has been an honor to serve this movement and our community. I have no doubt that our collective resilience, determination, and fierceness will continue to prevail.
Thank you for the opportunity and pleasure of working for our community.
In partnership and gratitude,
Sharon Esther Papo, LCSW
Executive Director of the Diversity Center
Feel free to stay connected: sharonpapo@gmail.com
