Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) is excited to announce the appointment of Pat Nichols as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Thursday, April 5, 2018.
Nichols brings a deep understanding of nonprofit leadership through his position as President of Transition Leadership International, LLC. For more than 20 years, he has served as an Interim CEO to nonprofits facing strategic transitions. He has led transitions for organizations engaged in youth issues, equal rights, alternative energy, and healthcare, including for Safe Kids Worldwide, an international subsidiary of Children’s National Health Systems. He has also managed the start-up of Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute, a $450 million-a-year research funder created by Congress and has provided strategic consultation for organizations like the Susan G. Komen Foundation and other nonprofits facing similar transitions.
“As we face the worst global displacement crisis in history, the LIRS mission—to stand with and advocate for migrants and refugees and transform communities through ministries of service and justice—is more crucial now than ever,” said LIRS Board Chair, Bishop Michael Rinehart. “During the board’s search for an Interim President and CEO, we sought a leader who would strengthen our ability to advance that mission in turbulent times and continue to strengthen our capacity to serve through this transition. Pat Nichols, with his history of success in leading nonprofits through times of transition, proved to be the ideal candidate, and we couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the team.”
“It is an honor to accept the Board’s appointment as Interim President and CEO of LIRS,” said Nichols. “America’s commitment to welcoming the stranger is a defining attribute of who we are as a country. In these challenging times I look forward to working with the migrants and refugees we serve, the board, our dedicated staff and partners to build on that commitment and to extend LIRS’s proud legacy of service as we prepare for the transition to a long-term leader.
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Founded in 1939, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service is one of the largest refugee resettlement agencies in the United States. It is nationally recognized for its leadership advocating with refugees, asylum seekers, unaccompanied children, immigrants in detention, families fractured by migration and other vulnerable populations. Through nearly 80 years of service and advocacy, LIRS has helped over 500,000 migrants and refugees rebuild their lives in America.
Press Contact:
Danielle Bernard
dbernard@lirs.org
410-230-2888
President’s Office Contact:
Marc Soloweszyk
msoloweszyk@lirs.org
410-230-2785