A Message of Thanks from our Executive Director!

Dearest Friends of the Foundation,

After nearly seven years in serving the Issaquah Schools Foundation, firstly serving on the Board of Trustees then the past four years as the Foundation’s Executive Director – I have decided that the timing is right for me to step back and for the organization to start dreaming about its next leader. I have been working closely with senior leadership on a transition plan and will be leaving once the Executive Director search is completed this fall.

This is an exciting time for the Foundation, as this leadership transition will create a powerful opportunity to lean into the work that we have been doing to raise awareness and engage our community in building a stronger and better Foundation to serve the needs of our students.

Over the past four years, we faced a multitude of strong headwinds that impacted the Foundation in ways we couldn’t have imagined. Nevertheless, together we stood strong and continued to persevere. We transformed ourselves during this time to becoming more resilient, resourceful, and relevant by targeting our efforts to primarily focus on meeting the immediate needs of our students, families, and educators. Recent events have forced us into more complex waters, however as an influential organization that prides itself on building healthy relationships with our community, coupled with a strong leadership voice advocating for what we believe is necessary change to help students succeed, we can endure another 35 years!

The next Executive Director will have an opportunity to collaborate with a talented staff team and deeply committed board of directors to continue this critical work in building a Foundation that supports and focuses on students. They will be stepping into a strong, resilient, and adaptable organization that is poised to play an even more significant role in creating a more accessible and equitable experience for students throughout their K-12 educational journey.

The Board has created an Executive Director Search Committee and will conduct the transition. Over the next few months, I will be working closely with the Foundation’s leadership team and Board to ensure a smooth transition and seamless continuity in terms of the Foundation’s fundraising and programming work as we prepare for our next Executive Director to join the team.

While I know it will be hard to say goodbye after so many years of leadership with this incredible organization, I also know that it’s the right time – for the Foundation, and for me. Serving as our Executive Director has been the honor of a lifetime. Thank you for your friendship, encouragement, and incredible support throughout my time. I am grateful and proud to have been given the opportunity to lead such a dynamic organization and look forward to the road ahead for the Foundation. I know that it has even greater things ahead!

With sincere appreciation and gratitude,

Cornell Atwater