Last week, we shared with you the news about Jenise Terrell’s return to Public Allies as Interim CEO. Her experience, centering of Public Allies values, and effective leadership make her the right choice to lead Public Allies during this period of growth and renewal.
Today we are excited to share that Jenise has hired two members of her leadership team, marking the return of two strong leaders to the Public Allies team. Elodie Baquerot Lavery will serve as Acting Chief Operating Officer and Ashley Lee will serve as Chief Programs Officer. Both Elodie and Ashley are former Public Allies staffers who have proven their dedication and commitment to Public Allies and who have agreed to rejoin the organization to help lead us forward. They both start today, Monday, August 22, 2022.
As CPO, Ashley Lee will oversee all Public Allies programs, including the AmeriCorps apprenticeship program and alumni programming. Ashley will oversee operations and support of all Public Allies sites and manage the field operations support team. She is a well-respected and experienced national leader who has served Public Allies in a number of roles, most recently as our national Director of Alumni Mobilization and Engagement. Prior to that, Ashley served as the Executive Director of Public Allies Milwaukee where she grew PA Milwaukee into PA Wisconsin, one of the largest sites in the PA network. Ashley has been recognized as the 2019 Wisconsin Governor’s Service Alumni of the Year and recipient of the 2019 Nelson Institute Rising Star Alumni Award.
As Acting COO, Elodie Baquerot Lavery is rejoining the organization in a part-time role, specifically to offer support through the leadership transition. Elodie will leverage her decades of experience as a senior executive and equity-centered systems builder in service to aligning the organizations’ operations with its values. She will support the immediate stabilization, reimagining and rebuilding of the Public Allies National Office and broader network. In addition to recommending priorities for building out the organization’s core operations, Elodie will support the implementation of a healing and reparative process that rebuilds lasting trust and confidence of staff, Allies, alumni, partners, and other key stakeholders.
“At this juncture in our history, I feel reassured and hopeful to have Elodie and Ashley helping rebuild and reimagine what Public Allies can be, as we head into our 30th year,” Jenise Terrell, Interim CEO of Public Allies, says. “These two women epitomize an uncompromising commitment to the organization’s values, its history, and the possibilities that lie before us.”
Welcome back Ashley and Elodie. We are grateful for your leadership during this critical time and look forward to collaborating with you on shaping the future of Public Allies.