VCIC Leadership Transition

PLANNING A LEADERSHIP TRANSITION AT THE VIRGINIA CENTER FOR INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES:
A Message from VCIC's State Board Chair

In September of 2006, Jonathan Zur joined the staff of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, and he was promoted to the position of President & CEO in 2009. As he prepares to mark 20 years of full-time service at VCIC, Jonathan recently notified the State Board that he will be transitioning out of the organization at the end of this calendar year. A personal message from Jonathan is below.

VCIC’s State Board looks forward to finding opportunities over the next ten months to thank Jonathan for his two decades of impactful leadership. Since he began his tenure in 2006, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities has:

Become a go-to resource for schools, businesses, and communities in Virginia, with a 3,000% increase in the number of programs VCIC delivers annually.
Launched new program offerings, including Diversity Dialogue Day, the Inclusive Educators Institute, Standing Together, Unpacking the Census, the Virginia Inclusion Summit, the Workplace Inclusion Network, and a robust collection of workshops and consulting services.
Provided expert counsel and thought leadership, both proactively and in response to bias and inequity, including several Virginia incidents that made national news.
More than tripled the size of the staff.
Tripled the size of the budget.
Opened the organization’s first satellite office in Hampton Roads.
Increased net assets by over 1,000%.
Secured the largest institutional and individual gifts in organization’s history.
Received awards and commendations from GreatNonprofits, the Interfaith Council of Greater Richmond, Partnership for the Future, the Urban League of Hampton Roads, The Valentine, and the Virginia General Assembly.

We are grateful for Jonathan’s commitment to support us through a thoughtful and responsible transition this year. It truly reflects the qualities that have shaped his service with the organization. A search committee made up of VCIC State Board members has been formed, an executive search firm is being identified, and we expect to open our search for the next President & CEO by early April. It is our plan to have an overlap period this fall for Jonathan and his successor to smoothly transition together.

Over the past 90 years, the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities has moved from strength to strength through five executive changes. With the resilience, reputation, and stability enhanced under Jonathan’s leadership and with the dedication of our Board, Chapter, and staff members past and present, I am confident that we will continue in that proud tradition as we enter this next season together.

Sincerely,

Cameron D. Patterson

State Board Chair

Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities

A Message of Appreciation from Jonathan

Dear Friends,

My heart is filled with gratitude as I reflect on nearly 20 years with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities.

Some of you know that my first experience with this type of work was as a high school student. At 15 years old, I had the opportunity to participate in a retreat program conducted by a VCIC sister office in another state. That experience was formative for me: it helped me to find my voice, clarify my values and passions, and build wonderful, lasting friendships.

I had no idea as a student participant that I would have the opportunity to spend two decades advancing inclusion by facilitating similarly impactful programs for thousands of students, educators, business professionals, clergy, nonprofit employees, community leaders, and more. This work has taken me from school classrooms to corporate C-suite offices, from houses of worship to the Governor’s Mansion, from campsites and retreat centers all the way to the White House. What a meaningful journey it has been.

Making the decision to depart at the end of this year has not been easy. I feel deeply committed to VCIC’s mission, proud of how we do our work, and I have immense respect and appreciation for the people across Virginia with whom I’ve had the honor of partnering: talented staff colleagues, engaged and strategic Board and Chapter members, generous donors, inspiring Humanitarian Award recipients, committed volunteers, and wonderful community collaborators. In fact, it is the dedication of this organization’s many stakeholders and the strong infrastructure that we have in place that help me to feel comfortable making this move. I recognize that 20 years is a long time to be at one institution, and I believe that VCIC will benefit from the talents and energy that a new President & CEO will surely bring. I look forward to cheering them on.

After December 31, I intend to take some time to rest, travel, and rejuvenate before finding my next professional role. Until then, I pledge to continue working as hard as I can to advance VCIC’s critical mission and contribute to a successful leadership transition.

Thank you, sincerely, for your support of the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities, of me, and of our shared efforts to help Virginia’s schools, businesses, and communities achieve success through inclusion.

All the best,