When the Emily K Center (the Center) announced the departure of its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of nearly 20 years, the themes supporting that transition were trust, confidence, and transparency. Fox Family Foundation, which provided a four-year, general operating support grant in 2024, was among those that helped fund the organization through this period of change.

Valerie Anderson, who became CEO in the summer of 2025, recalls that “this succession plan was arrived at through a truly collaborative process. We were all 100% on the same page in terms of what that transition needed to look like and what it meant to the Center for the future.” Jamie Spatola, Vice Chair of the Emily K Center Board, readily agrees: “This transition was thoughtfully planned. It was successful in part because of our leadership culture here.” But she also notes that had the process not included these two particular leaders — one departing, one advancing — the shift might not have gone so smoothly.

The Center implemented a time-limited period of dual leadership: outgoing CEO Adam Eigenrauch worked alongside Anderson as she spent a year as the Center’s Executive Director. Having worked together closely over many years, the two had developed a mutual respect that made room for the openness necessary during the transition year. Under this arrangement, Eigenrauch mentored Anderson as she sharpened her executive skills and deepened strategic relationships with staff, donors, supporters, and board leadership.

For Anderson, it was a time to ask tough questions: “Where do I feel absolutely ready to step up and lead today, and in what areas do I want to be intentional about learning?” She acknowledges how much it helped that Eigenrauch was “honest with me in terms of what it felt like to be the CEO — where he felt he led well and where there might be opportunities to do things differently.”

Anderson emphasizes that she prioritized introducing herself more fully to the constituency she was preparing to serve. “It was a time for me to translate my voice, to let people know who I am and what draws me to this mission… sharing some of my own personal story, my own personal background and how it very much aligns with the work that we do.”

Spatola adds that the board gained the same advantage of coming to know Anderson as a leader. For her part, Anderson marvels at the board’s willingness to treat the transition as an investment: “Dual leadership required funding of two top-level executives. And it meant that the board had to trust the timeline as well as the mechanics of this strategic advising opportunity.”

Spatola observes that as unusual as this transition strategy was, one of its strengths was its capacity to support the day-to-day work of the Center. “In the process of succession planning, we had to make sure that we were accountable not only to a desired succession outcome, but also to the current values and needs of the organization — does this serve the Center’s core purpose?” The board saw the transition, too, as part of a responsibility to develop leaders at the Emily K Center. Spatola continues, “We are intentional about developing leadership among staff who might not always be here. In this instance, we were really counting on and hoping that Valerie would be the Center’s CEO, but her time as Executive Director was going to help her in whatever her next role was.”

Perhaps the most intangible element of the transition was, Anderson says, “having some special and bittersweet moments of celebration with just the staff to honor the special relationship with Adam.” These heartfelt gatherings also allowed staff to ask candid questions about how the transition would work and how Anderson and Eigenrauch felt about it. “I think it went a long way towards helping everyone feel really good and really secure about the significant change. We had a lot of trust and care for each other.”

While the succession plan was specific to the Center’s context, its lessons can apply to any organization faced with a major shift in leadership. A successful transition from one leader to the next grows from an intentional leadership culture combined with a process defined by transparency, fidelity to the mission, and celebration of both the past and the future.

Page image, top: Courtesy Emily K Center.