Renewing SIECUS' mission.

As part of the broader strategic planning process, the SIECUS Board and staff have been working to update the organization's mission statement so that it more accurately and compellingly reflects the work of the agency today. We are proud to share with you our renewed mission statement, which is built on the foundation of our previous mission.

As I shared with you a few months back, the SIECUS Board of Directors assembled a committee charged with filling the critical role of President and CEO. As a team, we determined that much of the talent and expertise we were searching for was already within our family.

With forethought and vision, we have restructured the organization to move us closer to achieving our mission. The Board firmly believes that this restructuring will make certain that SIECUS is best positioned to help create a world that ensures social justice and sexual rights grounded on access to accurate information, comprehensive education about sexuality, and sexual health services. Ensuring access to reproductive healthcare and information, as well as protecting reproductive rights, is an enormous and critical component of this work.

As SIECUS advances its mission, we will be implementing a shared leadership model that elevates and takes full advantage of our talented, creative, committed, and highly capable staff. Like many organizations, we have learned that branding an enterprise with a single individual may not be the best strategy for long-term sustained results. SIECUS has been working toward this model for quite some time and we recently formalized this process. The Board's commitment to this new structure is made possible by our confidence in having recognized and appointed the right leader for SIECUS; Joseph DiNorcia, Jr. MBA, President and CEO.

Second only to our founder Dr. Mary Calderone, Joseph DiNorcia's tenure with SIECUS is longer than any current or former staff member. Joseph is an organizational visionary that builds enduring greatness through a paradoxical blend of personal humility and professional will. Joseph has the unique ability to put the mission and staff before himself, and is confident enough to share, if not give away, the spotlight when it best serves the agency. This quality, combined with his extensive experience both within SIECUS and in the leadership of other organizations, makes Joseph the ideal leader for SIECUS.

Throughout his 13 years with SIECUS, Joseph has earned the respect and admiration of staff and Board. We have great confidence in his ability to build on the legacy of SIECUS' predecessors and take the agency to its next level of excellence. He is supported by an amazing senior management team that propels SIECUS' mission forward. This team includes: Martha Kempner, M.A., Director of Public Information; Jason Osher, Vice President for Development; Monica Rodriguez, Vice President for Education and Training; William Smith, Vice President for Policy; and Adrienne Verrilli, Director of Communications.

I am honored and proud to play a role in shaping SIECUS' new organizational structure and helping position the organization to be a leader by building on its strengths and traditions internally and within the field.