To my colleagues and friends:
After 24 years, I have decided the time is right for me to leave the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids. My departure is set for March 31st, but I will continue to serve as an advisor to the Board of Directors and organization through the next several months. And, I’ll always be a friend and supporter of the Partnership’s life-changing and life-saving work.
I’m especially thankful that Marcia Lee Taylor has stepped forward to serve as interim President and CEO, with our board’s full support. Everyone who knows Marcia knows her deep commitment to the work of the Partnership, exceptional talent and team leadership skills. She has gained the admiration and respect of our staff, partners and donors alike through many accomplished years in her role of SVP, Government Affairs and previous experience with the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee. Marcia will be fantastic as the interim leader of the organization.
This change has been a considered decision on my part that comes at a time when our team is building a clear vision they’ll own for years to come, one which our board wholeheartedly endorsed and approved at their February meeting. At the same time, the need for an organization like the Partnership to support families and teens has never been more urgent.
Since our founding in 1986 and the first prevention campaign of 1987, the Partnership has always been a work in progress in the best possible sense. It will continue to follow consumer insights from our research, change with the times to do what is most useful, create powerful communications that resonate, and deliver programs that make a measureable difference.
I’m extremely proud of the accomplishments of our staff, volunteers and partners. Together, we’ve turned back national trends, done ground-breaking work and every year touched the lives of tens of millions of individuals and families. We’ve overcome tremendous shifts in our funding sources, tackled new drug threats, and continually evolved to meet the needs of each new generation of parents and kids.
The Partnership has been an incredibly significant part of my adult life — first as a volunteer, then in various staff positions, and finally as CEO — and will always be a part of who I am. I took on a time-bound role in March of 1991, creating and leading a media-based drug prevention campaign for Maryland’s Governor during the final three years of his term; I was recruited to the Partnership to replicate our work in Maryland across the country, with the warning that funding would probably only last a few years; and, I was honored to become CEO in 2001 for what was to be a 2-3 year term. An amazing cadre of passionate people all along the way turned every worry into progress, every challenge into success. Suddenly, it’s 24 years later.
I wish Marcia and everyone involved with the Partnership for Drug-Free Kids at every level the very best — more lives are made better through your efforts. As for my future, this April I will be starting a new chapter in my life as President and CEO of the Toy Industry Association. While I will be making a significant shift to focus on the growth and health of the global toy industry, happy children will still be at the center of my daily life.
I look forward to staying in touch and learning of your latest innovations and successes.
With deep admiration and all good wishes,
Steve
Published
March 2015