Dear Shalom community,
Our beloved Early Childhood Director of nine years, Kate Brantley, announced her resignation in mid-February. In late February, Kate, Tiffany Hagemeyer (Assistant Early Childhood Director), and I met with representatives from the JCC Association of North America to begin designing a new leadership and administrative structure for Shalom Children’s Center based on emerging best practices from across the country. We all know what happened in mid-March, and therefore our planning began to adapt again.
I am very pleased to tell you that after consulting with Kate, Tiffany, and the JCC’s Board President Carol Wenom, we have a solid transition strategy that provides the leadership and support that our Shalom community needs during this time of crisis.
Beginning June 1, Tiffany Hagemeyer will become the JCC’s Interim Early Childhood Director. Tiffany is uniquely positioned to lead Shalom Children’s Center at this time. She has served as Assistant Early Childhood Director for 3 years and has a thorough, working knowledge of the program’s operations and needs. She is a former Early Childhood Education teacher, has an M.Ed in Educational Theory and Social Foundations, is a licensed administrator with the state of North Carolina, and is a member of the JCC Association of North America’s Sheva Fellowship.
Tiffany will be supported by two new positions who will become familiar faces to you. First, the JCC has hired a new Program Engagement Assistant who will provide administrative support to Shalom. Second, we are also hiring a Learning Community Support Specialist who will provide hands-on technical assistance and behavioral support to children, teachers, and families.
As we begin to reopen Shalom, we recognize the need for familiar, trusted, knowledgeable, and consistent leadership – Tiffany is all of those things. We also recognize the need for administrative support to assist Tiffany in navigating the existing and new hurdles of Early Childhood Education operations. We believe that this path forward will set Shalom up for success this summer and for the foreseeable future.
Because we have not conducted an exhaustive, national search, as is our practice when hiring for Director-level positions, and because our leadership/administrative model may evolve over time as we navigate Shalom’s changing needs, Tiffany will continue in the “interim” capacity. When the dust settles, and we do not know when that might be, we will revisit Shalom’s leadership needs and make any changes or adjustments we deem appropriate at that time.
Please join me in welcoming Tiffany into this new role! We look forward to celebrating when we are together again soon.
L’Shalom,
Ashley
