Big News from our Executive Director
Dear Resonate family,
When I became Executive Director of Resonate in 2019, I knew I was taking on the biggest challenge of my career. While we have faced many obstacles over the last three years, we have accomplished so much together. Since 2019, we have increased our cumulative program participants from 5,995 to over 18,000 in East Africa, validated our impact through a year-long study, and established strong philanthropic and strategic partnerships to support Resonate’s growth and 5-year strategy, all while navigating the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it posed to our organization and our participants.
None of this would have been possible without the guidance of our Board of Directors, the support of our partners, and most importantly, our brilliant and hard-working team. I am so proud of how we have been able to grow as a team in the face of these challenges, become stronger, and support each other in everything we do.
When I took on the role of ED as part of a founder transition, I challenged myself and my team to build an organization that could stand on its own and was bigger than any one person, and I believe we have accomplished that mission. I feel that my skills and experiences were able to get us to where we are now – in a strong position to implement our new and ambitious 5-year strategy – and now it's time for the next person to take Resonate to a new level of growth.
On April 1st, I will be leaving my role as Executive Director, and our amazing Country Director, Claire Uwineza, will be taking over as Interim ED while our Board of Directors and our advisors conduct a search for a new ED. I couldn’t think of a better person to take on this interim role, and I’m sure those of you who know Claire will agree.
During our recent strategic planning process, I realized how much our team has grown over the past few years, both in size and capacity. We have 10 permanent staff members and a team of 14 part-time facilitators. We have also been able to build internal capacity and promote many of our long-time employees into greater leadership roles. This team has the ability to not only carry on our work but take Resonate to new heights as we embark on our new strategy, and I will be championing it as a member of the Resonate Advisory Board. If you have any questions or want to know how you can support us in this exciting new phase, please reach out to Claire at claire@resonateworkshops.org.
I am so proud of all we have accomplished together over these past few years. Leading the Resonate team and working with you all have been the highlight of my career. I grew professionally and personally: I worked with a bright and passionate team that will not let any challenge stop them; I met incredible changemakers who inspired me to become a better leader, and I listened to hundreds of stories from the women in our programs who inspired me to become a better human. Most importantly, I created friendships and memories that I will cherish for years to come. I would love to stay in touch with you and can be reached at norette.turimuci@gmail.com. Thank you for your trust, for your generosity, for your thought partnership, and for the tremendous opportunity to play my part in building the leadership of women and girls in East Africa.
Turikumwe,
Norette Turimuci