09 May Cris Donovan named Executive Director at Racker

The Racker Board of Directors has selected Cris Donovan to lead Racker as the next Executive Director effective July 1, 2022.

Cris Donovan

Employed by Racker since 1998, Donovan brings a wealth of programmatic experience to the position.  She started her career with the organization in our residential program.  Many of you may know Cris as she continued with Racker as the Director of Early Childhood and Community Supports, and most recently, as Associate Executive Director.  In these roles, Cris provided supervision to Residential, Community Support Services, Care Management, Clinical Services, Preschool and Early Childhood Centers, and Counseling for School Success.   Her dedication to the people in our programs, Racker staff and our families is a top priority.  This steadfast leadership could be seen throughout the pandemic as she navigated the organization through uncertain times.  

In her own words, Cris has found herself through her work at Racker:  

“Over the past 24 years, I’ve grown up at Racker. I had two children, went to graduate school, and played a role in each and every service we offer. I’ve had opportunities to learn and grow and have made a difference in the lives of our staff and the people and families Racker supports. I am incredibly fortunate to have found Racker and to have been part of this organization. Working alongside talented people who do amazing work each day has been the honor of my lifetime. But we aren’t finished. There are still complicated problems to solve, opportunities to innovate, and the need for organizational recovery from the pandemic. I look forward to continuing to work with Racker’s incredible team to take on those challenges.”

Max Della Pia, President of Racker’s Board of Directors said choosing Donovan was easy

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“Our search for a new Executive Director was a rigorous one.  It included a careful review of the key attributes we were looking for in our ideal candidate, and our search solicited input from  our community, representative families whom we serve, our leadership team, and the organizations with which Racker interacts.  Cris Donovan was an easy choice because of her demonstrated leadership, her work ethic, her attitude about those whom Racker serves, and her comprehensive knowledge and hands-on experience in virtually every aspect of Racker’s programs.  I know I speak for all the members of the Board and Racker’s staff when I say we all look forward to working with Cris to meet the challenges Racker will face going forward.”

Please join us as we congratulate Cris on her promotion to Executive Director at Racker!