Good News Friday!

Susan LaHoda

Today’s Good News Friday post is a mix of some good news with some sad news.

First, the sad news (for Imagine!, anyway). Susan LaHoda, who has been the Executive Director of the Imagine! Foundation since its inception, is retiring on August 1, 2014. Under Susan’s tutelage, the Imagine! Foundation has raised more than $6,000,000 to date.

Bob Charles, the Founder of the Imagine! Foundation, said, “There would be no Imagine! Foundation without Susan. It has been said that Reggie Jackson (Hall of Fame baseball player) was the straw that stirred the drink. Well, Susan is the cup, the drink, AND the straw. 

“One of the most brilliant moves John Taylor (former Imagine! CEO) made was hiring Susan. She was the right person at the right time. When the Foundation was starting, she coordinated all the meetings and had all the facts. I relied on her for everything. I can’t imagine what we’d have done without Susan. I did whatever she asked me to do. She’s the kind of person you would never want to disappoint or let down. When it comes to her job, she’s got her heart in it. She was the shepherd and I was one of the sheep in the flock. Some people of great value are referred to as another person’s right arm. Well, Susan is the right arm, left arm, right leg, left leg, everything. She’s a copy machine and computer all rolled into one. 

“Whenever there’s an event, she always runs to the back of the room because she has never wanted any recognition or accolades, but she certainly deserves it.” 

I’d like to offer my congratulations to Susan. I want to let all of my blog readers know what an absolute pleasure it is has been working with her. She is one of the few people I know who can light up a room without ever casting a shadow. On behalf of all of us at Imagine!, we will be wishing her well every day to come.

So that’s the sad news part of this particular post. The good news part is that we have already hired a replacement for Susan, and I don’t think we could have found a better candidate.

Patti Micklin

I am pleased to announce that Patti Micklin, formerly the Director of Development at Via Mobility Services in Boulder, will become the new Executive Director of the Imagine! Foundation upon Susan’s retirement. Patti brings 25 years of development experience to the position, having raised millions of dollars to improve the lives of others. Prior to her time at Via, she was the Development Associate and Officer at Rocky Mountain Institute in Boulder and the Development Director at St. Martin’s Episcopal School in Metairie, LA. She is the parent of a daughter who is served by Imagine! so will also bring a wealth of first-hand understanding of disabilities and Imagine! services to the job.

I hope you will join me in welcoming Patti as she joins the Imagine! staff on July 21.