CEO Resignation Announcement

From the Chairman, Phil De Young

It is with both sadness and gratitude that I announce Jamie Howden’s departure as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Cathy Freeman Foundation, effective December 29, 2017. Since 2010, Jamie has played a critical role in the development, growth and success of the organisation, and while we will miss his leadership, we wish him the best of luck in his new endeavor as the CEO of another wonderful organisation, FightMND.

We would like to thank Jamie for the three and a half years as CEO and prior to that three and half years as Programs Director. Jamie’s seven years of dedicated service involved many significant accomplishments, including: - Establishing the key pillars of our five programs and embedding these throughout the organisation and within our partner communities.

-Developing the essential elements that underpin our strong community partnerships.

- Leading the Foundation through a critical growth phase from one community partnership to four remote community partners.

-Growing program delivery and educational support to more than 1600 Indigenous children.

- Overseeing the growth of CFF staff from 5 to 24 permanent staff across all community partners including 13 local Indigenous staff.

- Establishing key partnerships with the Federal Government and Minister for Indigenous Affairs resulting in significant financial support of our programs and operations.

-Overseeing a significant expansion in the size of the CFF budget and our expenditure on program delivery. Over the next few months, we will be conducting a search to find a new CEO for the Cathy Freeman Foundation. During this transition period, it is our priority to find the best individual to lead, while still maintaining a stable and effective organisation. Again, we cannot thank Jamie enough for the unwavering commitment, passion, enthusiasm and motivation he has shown the Cathy Freeman Foundation over the past 7 years. He will be greatly missed by the staff, Board, members and partners alike. We look forward to following the success of his career and are hopeful and excited for the next chapter of the Cathy Freeman Foundation, as we continue to support our community partners and strive to reach our vision of an Australia where all children have the same education standards and opportunities in life.

If you have any questions or concerns during this transition process, please do not hesitate to reach out to Acting CEO, Courtney Brown at courtney@cathyfreemanfoundation.org.au

Best wishes,

Phil de Young