In May, Shalom Cook joined Communities Rise as our new Co-Executive Director leading our capacity building services! We were fortunate to have many candidates interested in this position and are so pleased that this was the right time for Shalom to join our team. Our hiring committee included our Capacity Building Program Managers, Khyree and Silver, and Co-Executive Directors Andrew and Annie. We’re proud to show it’s possible for a Board of Directors to allow staff to lead the hiring process for a leadership position and hope that more organizations will welcome the full participation of staff when hiring an Executive Director or supervisory role.
A word from Shalom:
Greetings, Communities Rise family! My name is Shalom Cook and I am honored to introduce myself as the Co-Executive Director leading the capacity building work here at Communities Rise. I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with such a fantastic team of dedicated, talented, and compassionate individuals. In this role, I’m excited to continue the meaningful work accomplished by Ms. Bridgette, Bri Jones, Khyree Smith, Silver Lee, Annie Hout, Andrew Kashyap, and our partners who all diligently paved the way for me to share in this meaningful work. I look forward to serving Communities Rise’s incredible community of service providers with innovation, care, resilience, and compassion.
In a time when we need one another more than ever, it is a true gift to be surrounded by people who center community voice and embody what it means to collaboratively address strategic partnerships, sustainable growth, and shared resources. A big thank you to the Communities Rise team for their faith and trust in my commitment and skills and to this community for embracing me in this new role.
About me: You can often find me tending to my garden, enjoying the ocean breeze, exploring distant lands, and sharing laughter with friends.