Share has named Amy Reynolds as its new Executive Director. Since Diane McWithey, Executive Director for the past 34 years, announced her retirement last October, Share’s board of directors has been conducting a nationwide search, with the assistance of Page Two Partners. The search took place over seven months, involved input from a wide range of participants, and included multiple rounds of interviews.
“Share is going through a truly unprecedented organizational change, and I couldn’t be prouder of the work of our search committee, board directors, program managers and stakeholders who participated in this extensive search process. In selecting Amy as our Executive Director, we get an experienced leader with an immense passion for fulfilling Share’s mission, and we are excited for what lies ahead,” said Matt Lennick, Share’s board president.
Reynolds brings with her 22 years of dedicated service at Share. She began as a swing-shift case manager at Share Orchards Inn, moving up to Director of Share Orchards Inn and the Winter Hospitality Overflow program, then to Director of Programs and then to her current role as Deputy Director. From her case management role to Deputy Director her commitment to alleviating trauma, suffering and poverty has remained steadfast. She is very excited to build upon the strong foundation of Share as a champion for professional staff development, with a clear commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion, and a passion for the mission.
“I believe that everyone should have a place to call home. Home is the foundation for family and community. A safe, stable place to live is necessary for people to not just survive but to thrive. Share has done incredible work in the community for the past 45 years and with so many people living outside and experiencing food insecurity there is clearly much more work to do,” said Reynolds. “As an agency we need to grow our DEI work and be willing to be humbled along the way. We need to strengthen our infrastructure to ensure that team leaders have the support that they need to lead in this new world. We need to recognize that cultivating a more diverse staff and valuing lived experience means that policies and practices need to be reflective of these beliefs. It is for these reasons that I am excited to step into the role as Share’s next Executive Director, to lead Share to an even more impactful future.”
Reynolds holds a master’s in social work from Portland State University and bachelor’s in history from University of Oregon. She is a current member of the Clark County Homeless Programs Continuum of Care Steering Committee and a class of 2019 graduate of Leadership Clark County.
About Share: Founded in 1979, Share’s mission is: Share believes every person counts. Together we pursue a stronger community by building relationships, advocating for equitable access to housing and food stability while empowering every individual to grow and thrive.
Share operates four shelters for those experiencing homelessness, an Affordable Housing and Stability program, Lincoln Place (a 30-unit Housing First model apartment complex), a street outreach program, a Housing & Essential Needs (HEN) program, Rent Well (a tenant education program), and Hot Meals, a daily meal program (breakfast, lunch and dinner) which is free and open to the community. Share also operates a Summer Meals program that provides free meals to children 18 and under, and a Backpack program in partnership with 85 locals schools to provide weekly food bags to 1,000+ children and their families, as well as to distribute 25+ weekly pantry boxes and operate 18 fresh food pantries. For more information, visit www.sharevancouver.org or facebook.com/ShareVancouver.
