Busy time for community center CEO

Only six months after the Spokane Valley Community Center and Food Bank merged, the facility has seen a director resign and a new chief executive officer take charge.

Ken Briggs, the former executive director for the Spokane Lilac Festival, started as CEO last week.

He spent his first few days organizing his office, which used to be occupied by executive director Mollie Dalpae, who had been with the Community Center since 1998.

Dalpae resigned July 21, and five days later the Valley Community Center and Food Bank board of directors voted to hire Briggs.

“Due to the merger and the restructuring of the community center, Mollie has decided to do something else,” said board president Matt Ewers. “She’s resigned and picked up her things and moved on to bigger and better things.”

Dalpae did not return phone calls or e-mails requesting comment about her resignation.

Briggs said he’s already at work trying to fill Dalpae’s shoes.

“She had a lot of vision and did a lot to build the center to where it is today,” he said. “She deserves a lot of credit. She certainly deserves a lot of thanks.”

Changes have been in the works for the past few months at the Community Center and Food Bank. The boards of the organizations merged in January, and during a March retreat, the combined board set a new vision and mission statement, Ewers said.

Out of that mission and other various goals, the board decided to create a CEO position and to eliminate the director position from the Community Center.

Dalpae applied for the CEO job along with 55 other people, Ewers said.

Within the next few months, several changes at the center should result in getting more resources out to Spokane Valley’s needy families, Ewers said.

“It’s a new and positive energy brought in to the organization,” he said. “We’re hoping to see some changes for the benefit of those in need.”

Briggs said he will work toward accomplishing goals set by the board of directors, including becoming debt free and gaining better visibility.

“We’re experiencing a growth in need, so we’re going to have to keep up with that need,” he said. “There are exciting times ahead.”