This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
After an extensive national search, the OUR Center in Longmont named Marc Cowell their new Executive Director on May 23rd. Only the second person to hold the position in the non-profit's twenty-year history, Cowell will take over for Edwina Salazar, who leaves at the end of June.
Cowell will manage a nearly five-million dollar budget, 43 employees, and 300 weekly volunteers.
Ryan Mason, President of the OUR Center Board of Directors, is excited about Cowell's arrival, and acknowledges that Salazar's departure leaves "big shoes to fill."
Citing Cowell's experience in family resources as well as in child care, Mason explained that Cowell's background matched up strikingly well with OUR Center's needs. "It's rare to find someone with skills in both areas," he said. He also praised Cowell's long successful career in non-profit and his strong leadership skills.
Most recently, Cowell served as the Director of Programs at the Sister Carmen Community Center in Lafayette. He has been Executive Director at both the Tiny Tim Center and Community Advantage of Longmont, and worked as Director of Non-Residential Services at Community Advantage, and as a Director at Laradon Hall Society for Exceptional Children and Adults. He also serves on numerous local boards and Boulder County Community Foundation Grants committees and is the Head Varsity baseball coach at Holy Family High School in Broomfield.
Both Sister Carmen and the OUR Center are members of the Family Resource Center Association, so Cowell is already familiar with programs the two organizations both utilize. His experience at Tiny Tim will benefit the OUR Center's Aspen Center for Child Development.
Mason says Cowell will be instrumental in helping the OUR Center continue to maintain and develop relationships with the community, as well as continuing the Center's mission of unifying community resources, and identifying unfilled needs and overlap with other agencies.
"This is a big deal for our organization," Mason said. "We were intentional in our search and we want to set Marc up for success."
