With Kent Spellman’s Retirement, a New Era Beckons at The Hub

It is with an odd mixture of excitement, sadness and great anticipation that I share with you my plans to retire as the Executive Director of The Hub in 2016.

My work at The Hub over the past seven years has been a capstone experience for me. I’ve poured a great deal of myself into The Hub, and so I’ve naturally had some moments over the past year or so when the thought of letting go seemed so perilous.

But, I know that the time is right.

It’s time for me to make space in my life for neglected personal aspirations. And time to move The Hub into younger, more creative, more innovative leadership. And time to allow The Hub to evolve beyond the limits of my vision and capacity.

I’m preparing for this transition with great joy. I’m happy about the work The Hub is doing and am extremely fortunate to have a staff that is dedicated and skilled.

I am grateful for our great board of directors and the support they provide. I’m excited about the opportunities West Virginia has before it, and the potential we have to realize those. And I am constantly impressed with the remarkable partners across the state that join us in this work, and optimistic about the direction the winds of change are blowing.

It is healthy for an organization, especially one like The Hub that is focused on innovation, constant evolution and regular reiteration, to experience a leadership change that will bring fresh thinking and new perspectives to the work.

To help with the transition, I’ve appointed Stephanie Tyree to be our Deputy Director. In Stephanie, and her colleagues at The Hub, I’m fortunate to have a remarkable staff that understands and embraces the culture we have created – a culture that is so central to our success. It’s exciting to think about what they might do in the coming years!

In October, we will begin a comprehensive search for this new leadership. Keep an eye out for the job posting. We are looking to cast the net far and wide, and hope you can help us unearth any potential candidates.

Meanwhile, we are going through a process of reimagining The Hub, and developing a plan to achieve the vision of what we can do in the coming five years to advance community and economic development across West Virginia.  We expect that plan to be in place by March 2016, so the new leadership will have an effective guide.

I look forward to my continued work with all of you in the coming months. I have been humbled by what you are doing and the great things you are accomplishing. You have enriched my life and taught me so much. Thank you!