PHI to Undergo Leadership Transition
Steven Dawson is planning to step down from his role as founding president of PHI on September 1, 2012, after 20 years of shaping the strategic direction of the organization.
Dawson will continue to serve on the PHI staff in the newly created position of strategic advisor.
Under his leadership, PHI has grown into a multi-million dollar organization with a nationally recognized staff, working to secure quality care through quality jobs for our nation’s direct-care workforce.
“Over the years, Steven has built a strong organization with an unprecedented team that has helped to establish national awareness of the essential role played by direct-care workers in the lives of elders and people with disabilities,” said PHI Board Chair Rick Surpin, founder and president of Independence Care System.
Throughout his career, Dawson has been recognized as an innovative thinker in the field of workforce development. He has been a leader in sectoral workforce development strategies, and recently published “Improving Jobs and Care: A National Sector Strategy,” drawing lessons from PHI’s experience.
Dawson has also served in recent years as co-convener of the Eldercare Workforce Alliance, which has advocated for stronger policies to support the health care workforce needed to care for an aging population.
The PHI Board of Directors has selected Jodi Sturgeon to take the helm as the new PHI president, when Dawson steps down.
Sturgeon, who over the past seven years was PHI’s chief operating and financial officer before becoming vice president, works closely with Dawson to guide the organization in its growth, impact, and sustainability. She is a highly skilled administrator and strategist who has worked in nonprofit executive positions for a decade before joining the PHI staff.
“We on the PHI Board are enormously fortunate that Jodi has agreed to take the reins of the organization,” Surpin said.
“The PHI Board is seeking to implement a careful, thoughtful leadership transition plan — naming Jodi as our new president with sufficient advance notice to inform our key stakeholders, and to prepare our staff leadership for the next phase of our development — while still ensuring that Steven’s expertise and strategic thinking will remain a key asset to PHI.”
PHI’s executive team is supported by a robust and highly stable program leadership team.
“The organizational experience and expertise of these leaders are unmatched. They will ensure that PHI continues to have profound impact at the intersection of low-income workforce development and eldercare/disability services,” Surpin said.
— by Deane Beebe
