Norwich/Burlington – After a four-month search, the Samara Foundation has found its new chief executive. Suzanne Stofflet became the president of the foundation as of January 1, 2006, although she spent much of December meeting nonprofit organization directors and working with former Executive Director Bill Lippert. With the new title "Founder and Senior Foundation Officer," Lippert is staying with the foundation as his legislative duties representing Hinesburg and chairing the House Judiciary Committee allow.
      The Samara Foundation is Vermont's only charitable foundation directed toward lgbt nonprofit organizations and community groups, and the only one among 17 such groups nationwide to cover an entire state.
      The 59-year-old Stofflet met with OITM last month for a get-acquainted interview. The first thing I noticed about her even before we met was her email address moniker: Paladin.
     "Perhaps you know what a 'paladin' is. He's an independent person who rides in, fixes a problem, and then rides on. As a consultant, that's what I did – ride in, identify and fix a problem or capitalize on an opportunity, then leave – for 25 years, with a few interruptions for staff work. Being an outsider gets lonely." Then there was that TV western (Have Gun Will Travel) that ran from 1957 to 1963, starring Richard Boone as Paladin.
      She's got a very deep background in nonprofit development, dating from 1977, she said, even earlier if you count a job she had with Fairleigh Dickinson University. What she doesn't have is a deep background of activism in lgbt communities. "This will be a steep learning curve," she granted. "I've been on the periphery of the gay community. On the other hand, I offer a perspective that's outside the box, more of an external voice. But it's too soon to make sweeping observations."
      Asked why she was stepping into this central role in the community now, she said, "The first thing that drew me was the board, specifically John [Crane, chairman of the Samara board of directors], but also the whole board. I've worked with boards for 30 years, and when you find one with as many assets as Samara's board has... they are hardworking, wise, and risk-takers, too. They're funny, they have a great sense of humor. That impressed me.
    "This is really an opportunity for me to make a big difference," she concluded.
      Stofflet and her partner Mimi Emerson, a continuing care manager at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, were joined in civil union in 2001 after 12 years together. Stofflet has a 28-year-old daughter, Kate Rappaport, who lives in Brooklyn, NY, and she and Mimi together adopted their 11-year-old daughter Sukie Emerson.
      Stofflet and Samara Board Chairman John Crane (who participated in the interview via speakerphone) agreed that the foundation's main choice was between the safer option of staying small and "taking a risk and going bigger." "Thinking big aligned with my priorities," Stofflet said. Crane characterized the foundation as having reached a plateau they wanted to get off. "The Unity Project showed us the depth of unmet needs in our communities and new areas in which to engage in fundraising untapped resources who want to support organizations addressing those needs," Crane added.
       Stofflet said she is excited to be working with Lippert, who has deep contacts within our communities.
       Stofflet has spent the last two years as the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation, which is organized into seven regional organizations. "They have found a way to optimize the regions and keep the strength of the whole," she said. "I've seen what works well and what works less well. We can create a model that will help Vermont organizations and other glbt funders if we get it right."
        Increased sustained funding, explained Crane, "depends on cultivation of long-term relationships and constant development work. With an all-volunteer board and a half-time director, we haven’t been able to do that."
       "My job right now is to listen and learn," Stofflet declared. "I'm not advocating any sweeping changes. I do, however, have a couple of preconceived notions.
       "Samara should remain volunteer-based. A working board means a healthy organization. The more things become staff-driven, the more out of touch the board becomes.
      "We need to be technology-savvy and employ the technology to our advantage. My vision is about connecting the dots, getting people who want to work with the community connected to Samara.
       "We should be infrastructure-light. Every dollar I don't spend on infrastructure is one I can give away."
        While there will still be a small office in Burlington, Stofflet plans to work primarily from home via computer and cell phone. "We don’t see clients, so it's not like we need a big office," Stofflet said. Crane added, "We plan to continue to be real estate-poor and program-rich."
       Stofflet said she heartily agreed with the goals the foundation's board had generated at its annual retreats for the past four years. "The board is committed to getting more money out the door, and to being more than a gay United Way. They want to be instigators, convenors, take a bigger role."
       One of Samara's most important roles, Crane amplified, is to help organizations help themselves, to listen and find out in various areas what 'help' and support would look like. He admitted that playing a larger role in the community might place the foundation in danger of being too assertive in setting the agenda. At the same time, he hoped the organization could help "create a culture where good ideas can bubble up and we can give support."
      Further, it is important to make sure that fundraising is targeted in a way that does not poach from the donor streams of grantee organizations.
       In that, Stofflet has experience. She's been on the board of directors of the Upper Valley Planned Giving Council, was president of the board and an interim director of the Upper Valley Haven (a homeless shelter for families) while raising $200,000 in annual support and initiating and completing a $2.4 million capital campaign, , and just left a position as Senior Foundation Officer for the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation.
        It seems clear the community can reasonably expect great things from Samara's new CEO. Stay tuned.