Dear Friends of Project Place:
After twenty-five years of unparalleled commitment to the Project Place mission, Suzanne Kenney, our Executive Director, is retiring. For all of us, Suzanne epitomizes the definition of fearless leader, and it is difficult to see her go. But we are thrilled for this next journey in her life and grateful for her years of service and guidance.
We thank Suzanne for her unrelenting dedication to the homeless women and men who cross our threshold, her innovative and results-oriented programming and her rigorous fiscal stewardship of the agency. During her tenure Project Place went through multiple transformations. Suzanne negotiated and managed a debt-free purchase and renovation of the Washington Street building that is not only our new home, but also a consummate state of the art mixed-used facility. She established the agency as an exemplary evidence-based workforce development model, secured consecutive multi-year million dollar federal grants and provided the organization with a strategic vision for its future. Suzanne grew the organization by an extraordinary 800% creating a myriad of opportunities over the years for thousands of our most vulnerable neighbors.
In addition to the homeless individuals she has championed throughout her leadership, Suzanne has touched the lives of innumerable Project Place staff, professional colleagues, board members, community and corporate leaders, and the many supporters and friends of the organization. She will be deeply missed and her passion for our work will leave an indelible mark on our community – she truly changed lives.
As we turn the page we are pleased to announce that Aaryn Manning, former Director of Education and Training at Project Place, will assume the role of Executive Director on October 1, 2020. Aaryn brings energy, determination, and passion for our work to the position. She worked previously at Project Place for 5 years and has 10 years of experience in human services and in the field of education. More recently she was the Vice President and CFO of a property management company. Aaryn has a commendable track record, a proven commitment to our mission and has the experience, skills, integrity and vision to lead us into the next chapter. We are excited that Aaryn will assume this important role ensuring a seamless transition to our future. She will be reaching out to many of you in the next few months.
We do this work together and can’t thank you enough for your ongoing commitment to Project Place. We are grateful to have your support and involvement as we celebrate Suzanne’s legacy welcome Aaryn as our new fearless leader!
With appreciation,
The Board of Directors Project Place