Jill's House Announces Leadership Transition
Vienna, VA (PRWEB) November 04, 2014 -- Jill’s House announces that, after five years at the helm, its President and CEO, Cameron Doolittle, will resign in 2015, but will stay on as a member of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Jill’s House Board of Directors will add Robert G. Stuckey, Robert Buck, and Ron McKenzie to its ranks. Longtime board member Robert Vagley is concluding his term of Board service, as is co-founder Lon Solomon.
Under Doolittle’s leadership, the ministry began its operations and grew to serve more than 500 families annually at six locations nationally. The staff grew from three to more than 100 and revenue grew from less than $2m to about $6m annually. As a social entrepreneur, Doolittle was honored by the Praxis nonprofit accelerator program in 2014 and appeared in numerous media outlets. Under his leadership, Jill’s House helped pioneer the concept of overnight respite and demonstrated its efficacy. Already having provided more than 400,000 hours of respite, no center in the world provides more overnight respite to families affected by intellectual disability than Jill’s House.
“Serving at Jill’s House has been the privilege of a lifetime,” said Doolittle. “God has done amazing things and it’s been a tremendous gift to me that I’ve had the chance to have a front-row seat. I am grateful to the Board, donors, volunteers, staff, children, families, and especially our prayer warriors. God has heard and responded. Jill’s House is a miracle. I am especially grateful to my wife Carolyn and our kids, who have sacrificed a lot to give me the bandwidth to pour myself into this great work.”
Jill’s House Chairman, Denny Harris, said of Doolittle, “We are grateful for Cameron’s remarkable leadership these past five years and the way he has poured his considerable talents and energy into growing this ministry into the premiere respite center in the world and we wish him well in his future endeavors. Even though we couldn’t convince Cameron to stay on as President and CEO, I am pleased he has agreed to continue to provide his invaluable insights and guidance to the ministry by serving on the Jill’s House Board of Directors after his tenure as President and CEO is complete.”
Jill’s House also extended its gratitude to Solomon and Vagley. “Without the vision and faith of Lon Solomon and his enthusiasm for sharing the vision of Jill’s House with the McLean Bible Church congregation, we cannot imagine that it would have happened,” said Harris. “There are hundreds of families living very different lives because of the vision, work, and sacrifice Lon has poured into Jill’s House.”
“By the same token, from the earliest days of Jill’s House, Bob Vagley and his wife Holly have made Jill’s House a part of their lives and their family,” said Harris. “They co-chaired our capital campaign, resulting in our beautiful facility, and they have built relationships for Jill’s House with hundreds of people in the McLean community, attracting corporate sponsors like Neiman Marcus. Jill’s House has a much longer list of supporters, volunteers, and donors thanks to the tireless enthusiasm of the Vagley family.”
“We are grateful that our co-founder, Brenda Solomon, will remain on the Board as we ensure that the good work begun over the past decade continues well into the future,” said Harris. “We are also thrilled that three excellent leaders with a passion for Jill’s House have agreed to join our Board.”
About our new Board Members:
Robert Buck of Atlanta, Georgia, serves as Chairman of Beacon Roofing Supply. Under his leadership, the company has grown from 65 branches to the current 265 branches and from approximately $600 million in annual sales to $2.3 billion. Prior to joining Beacon, Buck served as President of the Uniform Rental Division at Cintas Corporation. Robert is the chair of Multi-Color Corporation, and serves on the boards of Quanex Corporation, Elkay Manufacturing, Tru-Green Landscaping and Brundage Bone. Robert grew up with a brother with intellectual disabilities; for many years, he and his wife Susie have been compelled by the needs of the families served by Jill’s House. Robert now resides in Atlanta, Georgia, where he attends Church of the Apostles.
Ron McKenzie of Seattle, Washington, and Phoenix, Arizona, recently retired from Leidos (formerly SAIC) as the VP for Operations. He was responsible for the day-to-day management of the maritime intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (MISR) technology, delivering more than $100 million in annual revenue. He has served as President of Presearch (acquired by SAIC) and served on the boards of Presearch and two of its subsidiaries. He received the Vice Admiral Charles K. Weakley Award, the prestigious Meritorious Public Service Award, and the National Defense Industrial Association Gold Medal. He brings an acute operational mind to the Jill’s House board. He and his wife Jan share a personal passion for ministering to families raising children with intellectual disabilities. They have raised a daughter with an intellectual disability, and have been tireless advocates and supporters of the Jill’s House concept and its national expansion.
Robert G. Stuckey is a Managing Director and the head of The Carlyle Group’s U.S. real estate funds. He has held that position since joining the firm in 1998. He is also a member of Carlyle's Management Committee. Stuckey holds an MBA from Harvard University and was twice an academic All-American athlete at the University of Nebraska. He is the chairman of CoreSite. He is based in Washington, DC, and has demonstrated a longstanding commitment, along with his wife Kelly, to reaching families affected by intellectual disability.
Cameron Doolittle is outgoing President and CEO of Jill’s House. Prior to launching Jill's House in 2010, Cameron successfully launched two business units at CEB, a leading consulting firm. Cameron earned his JD/MBA at UC-Berkeley, and his BA at Stanford University. He has appeared on FoxNews.com, Patheos, Focus on the Family Minute, Family Life Today, The Steve Harvey Show and more. He serves on the board of MOPS International. Cameron and his wife Carolyn attend Redeemer Church of Arlington and live in Falls Church, VA with their four children.
ABOUT JILL’S HOUSE
Jill’s House, a full-service overnight respite center, renews families through much-needed breaks while providing a safe, fun environment for children with special needs. This innovative 42,000-square foot, 45-bed respite resort for children ages 6 to 17 with intellectual disabilities and their siblings, is located in the Washington D.C. metropolitan area, providing rest to families of all faiths and backgrounds. Jill’s House also serves families in Austin and Los Angeles through local partnerships. Since 2010, Jill’s House has provided more than 400,000 hours of rest and relief to 500 families. Receiving no direct state or federal funding, Jill’s House was created and is maintained through individual donations and grants. To find out more visit JillsHouse.org or follow us on Facebook at Facebook.com/jillshouse and on Twitter @Jills_House.
Sheila Joy, Jill's House, http://jillshouse.org, +1 (703) 862-7217, [email protected]
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