President & CEO Transition
Kate Barr, President & CEO of Propel Nonprofits, will be retiring on December 31, 2023. Propel is grateful for her 22 years of leadership, and her dedication to and role in creating a diverse network of mission-driven nonprofits building a healthy, vibrant, and more just community.
Throughout this transition, you can expect to find updated communications at this page.
A message from Kate Barr
Read Kate’s announcement on our blog.
Announcement Information
On June 1, 2023, Kate Barr announced plans for her retirement. Please find more information below.
For media inquiries, please contact Andrea Sanow, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager.
Timeline & Active Search Announcement
This transition has been long in the works and comes at a time when Propel has strong leadership, staff, and programs. Kate and Propel’s board have been working together for over a year to prepare for this transition, and the board is excited to welcome the next leader of Propel.
Propel’s Board of Directors has formed a search committee and begun a search in partnership with BroadView Talent Partners, a national, executive search firm.
“We are honored to partner with the Propel Nonprofits’ Board of Directors to navigate the process of recruiting and retaining the remarkable Kate Barr’s successor. These are big shoes to fill, and we will work in partnership with the board to find the right, next leader for this phase of Propel’s lifecycle,” Tracy McMillan, CEO and Managing Partner, BroadView Talent Partners, said.
Throughout June and July, BroadView Talent Partners (BroadView) conducted interviews with board members, staff, community leaders and clients of Propel to gather their thoughts and perspectives about the “must-have” skills and abilities that they would like to see in the next leader of the organization, and what their views on measures of first-year success for the new leader are.
Active Search Information
On August 8, 2023, BroadView announced the active search for the next President & CEO of Propel. All questions about the position should be directed to BroadView.
Learn more & apply for the position at BroadView’s LinkedIn page. Review the full position profile at BroadView’s website or download the profile as a PDF.
Updates on the search and transition will be posted to this site as the are available. In the meantime, please help us share this posting with your networks!
Leaving Well Blog Series
Over the next few months, Kate will share about her efforts to “leave well” – from organizational planning to staff development, and leadership to board planning. We hope you’ll follow along, tell us when something resonates with you, and share your experiences along the way.
Leaving Well: Is it the right time?
When Kate announced her retirement in June 2023, she heard from friends, peers, partners, and colleagues across the nonprofit sector. Along with kind words and gratitude, she also heard a lot of curiosity. How did she know it was the right time? Why was she doing this now? On the surface the answer was easy, but the reality was a bit more complicated. Learn more about how she knew it was the right time for her, and what she observes are the three key factors for a successful leadership transition.
Leaving Well With Kate Barr
Hear more about this series from Kate.