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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Chicago, IL, February 13, 2012 - The
Center for New Community (CNC) Board of Directors today announced that the
organization’s Executive Director of seventeen years, The Reverend David
Ostendorf, is stepping aside as of March 1.
Ostendorf, who co-founded the organization in 1995, will remain involved
with the Center as Senior Advisor.
“We
are deeply grateful for Dave’s vision and commitment to the Center,” said The
Reverend Kazi Joshua, Board Chair. “He built this organization entirely from
the ground up, and his leadership leaves us well-positioned for the challenges
of the next decade.”
The
Center for New Community is recognized nationally and internationally for its
work to counter racism and organized bigotry.
Through its community organizing initiatives across rural America it has
strengthened the voices and capacities of low-wage workers, religious and civic
leaders, and communities addressing racial and economic injustice.
The Center
recently mobilized a national, multiracial student delegation to Atlanta in
support of local efforts to curb the impact of Georgia’s draconian
anti-immigrant laws. In rural Missouri,
the organization has opened a Health Action Center to secure better health care
programs and plant safety for low-wage packinghouse workers.
“Much remains to
be done to build toward the vision of community, justice, and equality that has
always driven the Center, “Ostendorf said. “Its strong and diverse Board of
Directors, staff, and leadership base across the country will assure that its
work continues to grow, deepen, and expand.”
The Board of
Directors has begun a national search for a new Executive Director, and plans
to have a new leader in place by late summer.
The Board just named Catherine Brown as the Center’s Interim Executive
Director.
“All of us at the
Center are pleased to welcome Catherine,” Joshua announced. “Brown brings the organization years of
experience with the McCormick Foundation’s Communities Program, and as a Chicago-based
consultant to non-profits. She is a
great addition to our staff leadership.”
“We wish Dave the
best as he moves forward with his plans to return to grassroots, interfaith
organizing, and to rounding out four decades of commitment to the people,”
Joshua added. “He leaves us with a rich
legacy.”
For more
information please contact The Reverend Joshua, Catherine Brown, or David
Ostendorf at 312-266-0319 or at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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or visit the Center for New Community’s website at www.newcomm.org.
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