OneVillage Partners: Board of Directors Leadership Transition
Dear OneVillage Partners friends,
In 2020, OneVillage Partners celebrated our 10th anniversary. As we reflected on this past decade, we also continued to dream big about the change we might bring about with our community partners in the next ten years. As we discussed the exciting expansion of programs and geographic reach, we were acutely aware that such growth must be underpinned by strong systems and structures to support it. Among other themes, we narrowed in on the importance of sustainable leadership.
Our Founder, Jeff Hall, has served as the OneVillage Partners’ Board Chair since our organization’s founding in 2010. He also led our work in a less official capacity as early as 2005 during the beginning stages of OneVillage Partners. With Jeff’s vision and leadership, OneVillage Partners has grown from raising funds for new roofs for his former Peace Corps village of 1,500 people to reaching nearly 30,000 individuals and 23 communities through an inclusive and participatory development model. Many of our most steadfast supporters tell us, “You can’t know Jeff Hall without knowing OneVillage Partners!” Jeff’s generosity and dedication to the mission and his friends in Sierra Leone pushed OneVillage Partners to keep growing, so much so that in 2019 we raised over $1M for the first time ever. Our successes over the years are a direct result of Jeff’s leadership, enthusiasm, and dedication.
Understanding that we must ensure stable leadership to maximize impact and reach, Jeff, Board leadership, and I recognized that it was time to bring someone else into the Board Chair role and have a strong leadership pipeline for the future. Following several years of dedicated Board capacity and governance development, and upon reaching the $1M mark with an incredibly dedicated and experienced Board, we knew we had the people and structures in place to support a successful transition. Jeff, our Board leadership, and I knew that the next Board Chair would need to be someone who would provide values-based leadership and lead the organization to doubling impact in reducing multidimensional poverty by increasing revenue from $1M to $2M+ and increasing our reach from 30,000 individuals to 60,000. Pete Janzen, who at that time was a Board Member and our Development Committee Chair, was an obvious choice. And so, in 2020, Pete was elected Vice Chair of the Board of Directors, and at the beginning of 2021, Jeff stepped down as Board Chair and Pete stepped into the role.
Pete has a passion and reputation for exceptional leadership, for thinking and operating strategically, and for community-led development. As a former Land O’Lakes CEO and career-long Land O’Lakes employee, Pete oversaw Land O’Lakes international development work, international business acquisitions, and the Land O’Lakes Foundation. As the second Board Chair for OneVillage Partners, Pete is enthusiastic about helping to lead the organization into its next chapter.
Jeff will continue to serve an important role with OneVillage Partners. He will serve in a Founder role on the Board of Directors and focus his efforts on raising awareness and funds for the organization. His role as Founder is ever-important, and we are eternally grateful for his continued leadership and passion. Recently, Jeff shared his excitement about the transition: “I am so delighted to have Pete as Board Chair of OneVillage Partners at this exciting time of growth. Pete's demonstrated leadership and his passion for international development make him an ideal choice to guide OneVillage Partners. I look forward to his strategic leadership and our continued work together!”
Please join me in welcoming Pete into his new role as Board Chair! We look forward to his leadership as we embark on the next decade of building thriving, connected, and resilient communities in Sierra Leone.
Welcome, Pete!
In gratitude,
Jill LaLonde