JARC Succession & Transition Plan

An important announcement from Guy Loudon, JARC President. 

Dear Friend of JARC, 

I hope that my communication finds you well – healthy and safe. At JARC we have shifted to remote programming and operations, including remote instruction, coaching and case management in response to the COVID pandemic. The JARC staff has been resourceful and brilliant, finding new ways to engage the trainees with remote lessons, check-ins and vital supports. Here are just a few of many impressive stories from the front lines:

• In order to support remote learning and coaching JARC purchased laptop computers for trainees who don’t have a home computer with support from Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) and an anonymous funder. Thank you LISC!
• Board Member Udayan Das provided a crash course training to support instructors’ teaching online. Thank you Udayan!
• The manufacturing instructors have evaluated Tooling U. as a resource for online instruction. Other instructors and coaches have rapidly configured their curricula to align with remote instruction.
• We have managed to get back to our Strategic Planning process with virtual meetings on Zoom; the updated Strategic Plan will focus on Data, Social Inclusion, Two Generation Strategies and Public Policy. 

Our funders and industry partners have been exceptionally supportive and kind even as they scramble to address these same uncertainties that are impacting all of us. With support from funders and community partners, JARC has now started construction of a new training space at Freedman Seating Company to anchor our physical return to the Austin neighborhood. Huge thanks to Craig Freedman and our friends at Freedman Seating!

On a final COVID note, I am sad to confirm that we have canceled our annual Chicago gala, the 2020 JARC Evening of Opportunities, but we are planning to hold an online event with our stakeholders to celebrate our clients’ journeys and the partnerships that make them possible. So please anticipate another call or note from me in the near future!

Leadership Succession and Transition

I am writing you to communicate some very important and exciting updates on our leadership succession and transition plans at JARC: Effective July 1, Regan Brewer-Johnson and I will be switching job titles and the core of our essential functions.

After 10 wonderful years as President of JARC, I will be stepping away from the CEO role and am looking forward to playing a different role on the JARC leadership team, effective July 1. And Regan will be JARC’s next president, also effective July 1.

With the challenges and uncertainty of COVID as our backdrop, I want to reassure all of you, that our succession and transition plan has been years in the making and is not a response to this crisis or any other. That said, I think that Regan has again demonstrated her ability to rally the troops and lead under fire. Her leadership in the crisis has been outstanding.

Our decision to move forward with the succession and transition plan at this point in time aligns with the best, long-term interests of the agency as well as the evolving interests of the principals. Regan has arrived as at the CEO level; she is a nationally-recognized leader, and it’s her time to step up and lead JARC into its next strategic plan. For my part, I want to step away from the CEO role, but I still have so much to offer and accomplish in my remaining years at JARC.

This fall, Regan and I mapped out our core and essential functions, identifying spheres of responsibility and timelines – but again, our plan culminates a transition that has been years in the making. In fact, Regan already executes a number of the main CEO functions and at a very high level. Her internal portfolio has come to include the lead role on: Agency Budget, Resource Development, Programs and a critical role in General Operations. Her external role has grown significantly; she has a national presence in workforce development, and she contributes thought leadership in areas ranging from benchmarking to 2 Gen strategies. She is seen as a valued and collaborative partner in every milieu critical to JARC.

The true test of a leader is her response to adversity; Regan has continued to step and lead in the face of challenges and disruptions from Austin to the Pandemic, modeling a combination of temperament, professionalism and fierce love for our programs. I have 100% confidence in her ability to lead JARC.

Stepping Back and Looking Forward – Thank You

I am stepping back from the CEO role, and I will be Executive VP effective July 1. At this point in my career, I am looking forward to an opportunity to focus on areas where I can have the greatest impact and add the most value: Industry Partnerships, Program Design and Curriculum, Strategic Planning and Replication. In terms of programs and teams, I will be responsible for Business and Workforce Services and Manufacturing Operations in Chicago and Baltimore; and I will continue to lead the employer-facing work of our Industry Advisory Councils in both cities.

I am especially excited that I will have more time to lean in and support our wonderful training programs in the Park Heights neighborhood of Baltimore and in the Austin community on Chicago’s west side. I will also function as a senior advisor to Regan as she needs and directs.  

In closing, I want to thank all of JARC Stakeholders – our industry partners and community partners, our government and foundation partners, our volunteers, our wonderful board and staff, as well as our trainees and program participants for your support and confidence over these last ten years and for entrusting me with the opportunity to lead and represent this wonderful organization. What an honor and privilege this has been.

Sincerely, 

Guy Loudon