After shaping pet project, it's time
to go:
Eckerd Youth Alternatives' CEO
says that moving on after almost eight years at the helm was a
tough decision.
By NICOLE JOHNSON
Published July 23, 2006
Karen Waddell still isn't quite sure
why she was tapped to head one of Florida's leading nonprofits for
at-risk youth.
But after almost eight years as chief
executive officer of Eckerd Youth Alternatives, she is certain that
she has given her all to the organization and that it's time to move
on.
Waddell, 56, announced her
resignation from the decades-old organization last week.
"It's the hardest decision I've had
to make in my life," Waddell said from her Clearwater office. "But
the organization has matured beyond my greatest dreams, and it's
time to take it to the next level."
The program was founded by
philanthropists Jack and Ruth Eckerd in the late 1960s. At first,
the vision was a wilderness camp in Central Florida aimed to
rehabilitate troubled youth through teamwork and character building.
Today, the nonprofit organization
offers about 40 programs, including wilderness camps, family
services and aftercare to more than 9,000 youngsters in eight
states.
Those close to the organization said
a lot of that growth had to do with Waddell's leadership.
"Karen's enthusiasm, energy and
passion for kids infused the entire organization and helped carry my
father's vision forward," said Eckerd Youth Alternatives board
chairman Jim Swann, son of the late Jack Eckerd.
Therapy over punishment has always
been a guiding philosophy at Eckerd Youth Alternatives.
The Eckerds hoped that allowing
children to express their feelings, while working toward common
goals such as surviving in a wilderness camp or canoeing upstream,
would build their confidence and in turn help them make better
choices.
By the late 1990s, the foundation of
the program was set, and it was time to expand.
Waddell was recruited for the post
during her tenure as president of the Community Hospitals of Central
California Foundation in Fresno, Calif.
During her four years there, she
helped the organization raise more than $1-million a year and
strategized a plan for long-term giving.
Before leading the foundation,
Waddell spent a decade running her own marketing and public
relations agency in her hometown of Oklahoma City, as well as
working in marketing development for several hospitals in that area.
Still, for all of her business savvy,
arriving at Eckerd Youth Alternatives was an eye-opener.
"I never knew there were so many kids
with so many problems in this country," Waddell said.
She decided that by giving the
community more stake in the program, it could reach more youngsters.
In the last five years, she worked to build relationships with
churches, schools and the government.
"We told them, 'We aren't just
wilderness camps,' " Waddell said. "We told them, 'We're a program
that gives kids what they need.' "
During her tenure, the program not
only increased its operating budget from $58-million to $92-million,
but the organization also expanded to offer services in Ohio.
The board of directors, previously
occupied by only the Eckerd family, now includes Karen Brown Dunlap,
president of the Poynter Institute for Media Studies, a nonprofit
organization that owns the St. Petersburg Times, and Stewart Turley,
former chief executive officer of the Eckerd Corp.
"My goal was to build the
infrastructure," Waddell said. "I wanted to make it so the
organization could go forward."
In the transient world of nonprofits,
retaining a CEO for eight years is no small accomplishment.
"Her original commitment was only
five years," organization spokesman Tom Denham said. "She really
loved the kids, and she loved working with Mrs. Eckerd."
Waddell's resignation came the same
week as the death of Ruth Eckerd, who co-founded Eckerd Youth
Alternatives.
Mrs. Eckerd and Waddell had forged a
close friendship during her tenure.
"She was one of the most gracious,
powerful, wonderful people I've ever met," Waddell said.
The board of directors has launched a
nationwide search for Waddell's replacement.
She will stay with the organization
until the end of August, although she has agreed to be available
until the end of the year to assist the organization through the
transition period.
On Wednesday afternoon, Waddell
reflected on her next move.
There have been offers, in and out of
state, she said. For now, she said, she will do some consulting
work.
"Our country has not decided how
we'll take care of kids," she said. "We haven't figured out if we'll
treat them or punish them.
"I think we need to set a policy that
until you've reached the age of accountability, our role as adults
is to give you all the help you need to build you up."
In the next breath, Waddell, a
statuesque brunette with hazel eyes, mentioned her three
grandchildren - one only days old - all of whom live outside of
Florida. And how deep down inside, she's still a small-town Oklahoma
girl who prefers weekly Bible study meetings to skyscrapers.
"But I don't know that I'm ready to
move," she said. "I like to know we can be used at any given stage
in our life to do anything. I'll never be apart from this mission, I
will continue to work to help these children in some way."
Nicole Johnson can be reached at
njohnson@sptimes.com or
(727) 445-4162.
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