Purpose Dignity Action (PDA) has exciting news to share about an evolution in our leadership structure. Beginning last week, we will have two additional deputy directors: Tiarra Bryant and Brandi McNeil are joining Fe LopezGaetke in that role. All three previously played broad leadership roles at PDA.
Fe will continue to be the executive lead on many administrative core functions, as well as being one of our points of contact for local and state public officials.
Tiarra, the former Seattle/King County LEAD Program Director and then Senior Practice Advisor for LEAD Support Bureau, will continue her current work with and, with Lisa, provide executive leadership for the LEAD Support Bureau, which provides technical support to LEAD sites across the country and internationally. She will also manage aspects of our three-year national action plan and develop strategies to recruit, support, and develop staff with lived experience. She will work with Fe on staff wellness strategies.
Brandi, a former public defender, will continue to work with LEAD Legal Services, but will also become the primary executive supporting our LEAD-Seattle King County flagship program. This transition will be staged over 2024 as Brandi will be out for portions of the year on parental leave; Lisa and Tara will back her up during this transitional period.
These transitions are largely within-budget evolutions that put these key colleagues in executive decision-making roles in the areas where they are already working and leading. An expanded leadership structure was part of our strategic plan for a national funding award that emphasizes organizational resiliency and capacity-building. With some of our major current responsibilities shifting to these wonderful colleagues, the two of us will have more capacity to dive deep into our intended areas of focus.
Tara will be concentrating on supporting CoLEAD, the LEAD case management team in short-term lodging that has proven so impactful in reducing overdose risk, stabilizing participants in permanent housing, and fostering recovery journeys; after she can shift away from local LEAD when Brandi returns from parental leave, she’ll be spending more time working with our national technical support team.
Lisa will continue to provide executive support to the Washington State LEAD Technical Support team, as well as the national team; will support local policy and innovation work, including the Third Avenue Project; and will be spending more time on communications about lessons learned from our experience implementing community-based public safety programs.
We’re also delighted to say that Patricia Sully is returning to PDA as Chief Strategy & Campaigns Officer, with support from our recent national strategic plan funding. Patricia is Founding Director of Legal Pathways at the UW/Tacoma, providing support for non-traditional students pursuing legal careers; previously, she was Director of Policy & Legal Services at PDA, where she worked with the Seattle LEAD project management team and was the founding coordinator of VOCAL-WA. Patricia will be working to ensure higher visibility for and understanding of the workable community-based public safety models that we help implement.
We’re so happy to be joined by these brilliant, knowledgeable leaders who are so capable of taking our work to the next level of impact and sustainability. Don’t hesitate to reach out to the two of us for anything you think we’re the right point of contact about, including longstanding projects and work we’re leading with you. But over time, you’ll see these new leaders in some spaces in our place–which is a wonderful development for our work.