Hands On Miami Leadership Transition

Dear Hands On Miami volunteers, employees, donors, board of directors, advisory board members, and friends:

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Leila Chang Ripich as president and chief executive officer following the departure of Hands On Miami's founder and recent President and CEO Pat Morris.

Pat helped found Hands on Miami in 1993 and was President and CEO since '03. Pat will join long-time friend and associate Ritchie Lucas as a Principal of Lucas' Think Factory where he will be directing the award-winning cause-related marketing and corporate social responsibility arm of Think Factory. Think Factory has not only worked with Hands On Miami, but also on additional projects with Pat such as Make-A-Wish Foundation and Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines' Wishes At Sea Program.

Pat will continue to be involved in the leadership transition in support of Hands On Miami.

Leila Chang Ripich is a long-time Hands On Miami volunteer and former Board Chair. Leila's previous experience includes being a CEO, business owner and entrepreneur. She brings a wealth of leadership experience and recently led Hands On Miami Day, our largest day of service in Miami.

Several years ago, Pat and the Board initiated the process of examining Hands On Miami's vision for volunteer service in Miami as we moved into our second decade. All organizations evolve to meet current and future needs, and we are no exception. The result was a new logo as well as greater focus on building community by engaging people in volunteer service. We also grew with the merger with the Center On Nonprofit Effectiveness (C-ONE). This fulfilled an additional strategic role as a nonprofit resource center to connect South Florida nonprofits with the resources they need. Hands On Miami is well poised to lead the call and responding surge of volunteerism and civic engagement. Pat has left us in very good hands, in large part due to his initial vision for a better Miami, devoting his life to advocacy of volunteerism to change Miami, if not the world.

On behalf of Hands On Miami, I thank Pat for his incredible commitment to our mission of building a better Miami through building community, by engaging people in volunteer services. Pat helped found Hands On Miami in 1993 and served as the second Board Chair as well as our CEO and President since 2003. Pat's accomplishments are many in his service to communities in Miami/Dade. Hands On Miami and Pat are national role models for the HandsOn Network. I am grateful for Pat's passion and leadership in community service, building Hands On Miami over the years.

Hands On Miami volunteers gave over 70,000 hours of service last year to make our community a better place to live and work. They fed the homeless, were companions to the elderly, built low-income housing, restored the natural environment, tutored at-risk children, read to children in shelters, and even cared for homeless pets. This is in large part due to Pat's initial vision for a better Miami.

Sincerely,

David Correa
Chairman of the Board
Hands On Miami