By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Donna Davis, executive director at BrightHouse, will be stepping aside later this year.
"When I walked in the door the first day, there was a stack of bills sitting there to be paid," Davis said. "I thought they hadn't been paid because there wasn't a director around to get it done, but that's not why. We didn't have any money. In four years, we've gotten operationally sound. We have a long-range, short-range, strategic plan that's guiding the work that we do. We have core values that guide our work. We have policy and procedures in place. We have money in the bank so we don't have to worry. If the shelter house burned down, what would we do? Now we know. We have a plan."
Her replacement will need to be ready to take the agency through the next steps.
"The agency mission of supporting victims, the new director is going to have to support that mission 100%," Davis said. "Also, our vision of working to create a community where domestic and sexual violence does not exist. That's the work that we're doing with kids so much in schools and youth groups and it's one of those big, hairy audacious visions."
There will be some time for transition.
"We're going to get to hire somebody six weeks before I go," Davis said. "That way, I can mentor and really facilitate the long-term success of that new person. This is really critical to the organization. When I came in the door, there was nobody. The board president could give me some historical knowledge and past of the organization, but there was nobody who could tell me anything about the day to day operations."
The board would like to make a hire by March 15, with the goal of allowing Davis to fully retire by May 1.