THOMASVILLE- When Elijah Miranda came to the Vashti Center as Executive Director in 2017, he was drawn by the organization’s mission to promote resiliency in children through healing, hope, and transformation. Six years later, he is leaving the organization with new programs to build resiliency through school-based mental health services and community-wide trainings, along with a 27% increase in revenue and a new vision for the 119-year old organization.

“We were in hard times when Elijah came on, but he drastically reversed the budget deficit, totally transformed the organizational culture, and put us on track for a successful comprehensive campus plan,” said Board Chairman Jim Bue, who has served on the Board of Directors since 2016.

Miranda announced his resignation after being recruited to lead Soccer in the Streets, an Atlanta-based non-profit that uses soccer to create leaders in underserved communities. Vashti won Nonprofit of the Year at Imagine Thomasville’s most recent Community Impact Awards.

“It’s been a year of tremendous blessing for the organization and I am leaving at a time of incredible opportunity for Vashti. But I have this personal opportunity to combine my passions for youth development, public health, and soccer,” Miranda said.

The Vashti Board of Directors has started the search process for a new director and hopes to onboard a new director by March 2023. However, Bue said the experience of the current management team will allow the Board to take their time and find the best candidate for the job.

Miranda said the timing worked well as the organization recently onboarded Kamini Ramcharran as Associate Director, a position created to ensure operational excellence across programs. Ramcharran has worked in child welfare services for 33 years, recently serving as a regional director of community-based services at Elks Aidmore in Valdosta and Savannah. She will support the management team to operate the four main program areas, which includes a six-county community-based mental health program, a residential program, an afterschool program, and an outreach mental health training program.

After seeing the need for mental and behavioral health trainings and awareness, Vashti partnered with Resilient Georgia in 2019 to destigmatize mental and behavioral health through trainings and events. Through this partnership, Vashti hosts as many as 30 professional development trainings a year, along with coordinating several awareness raising events throughout our community.

“Vashti has been a model and mentor for other areas of the state through their dedication to serve not only the families that walk through their doors, but also the community at large,” said Emily Anne Vall, Executive Director at Resilient Georgia. “Vashti’s staff of subject matter experts and mental and behavioral health clinicians have been invaluable to this work.”

In addition to growing the training program, the new director will also lead a comprehensive campus planning process and its implementation. The Vashti Center campus and its buildings were deeded to the organization in 2019 from the United Methodist Women. The upcoming campus plan will be the first major comprehensive campus plan and capital campaign.

The Vashti Center is an equal opportunity employer, and a diverse slate of compelling candidates is being sought for the Executive Director position. For more information on this opportunity, please visit https://www.vashti.org/employment-opportunities.