[Image description: Cornfields under a partly cloudy sky, with a portrait photo of Shannon Ellis framed on the right.]
Dear CompassPoint Community,
After eight years in executive leadership at CompassPoint (and 14 at the organization), Shannon Ellis is transitioning out of the Executive Director role as Jas steps in. Shannon will remain part of the team, working alongside our other part-time staff, primarily focused on developing finance-related program work.
Throughout her time in executive leadership, Shannon helped shape and guide CompassPoint through multiple chapters of growth, experimentation, and transformation. Alongside several other executive leaders during this period, she played an integral role in transitioning CompassPoint’s program focus and staffing models to center BIPOC leadership. Shannon helped strengthen the organization’s governance structure, developed anti-racist finance and HR systems, and designed and facilitated powerful learning spaces for leaders in finance roles across the nonprofit ecosystem. Her work invited leaders inside and outside of CompassPoint to think about stewardship, accountability, and financial leadership in non-traditional ways. We are deeply grateful for the integrity, fire, and steady leadership that Shannon has brought to CompassPoint and the broader field, and we look forward to continuing to work alongside her in the next chapter.
Shannon shares: “When I first stepped into a co-director role in 2018, it was with the express purpose of supporting CompassPoint’s transition to BIPOC leadership and a deepened commitment to racial justice throughout our programs. There have been many twists and turns along the way – some joyful, some heartbreaking. I’ve made mistakes, celebrated some victories with my co-workers, and been in a continuous cycle of learning and growth alongside my treasured colleagues and our wider community. I am truly excited for this next phase of CompassPoint’s evolution, and for the leadership of Jas and the current team as we continue to deepen our approach to build our collective capacity to shift power and realize material wins for our communities.”
This transition marks a shift from the co-Executive Director model we explored in past years, but it is not a rejection of that approach. We remain committed to collaborative leadership rooted in distributed responsibility and shared stewardship.
Over the past two years, as we have moved to a smaller staffing model, we have also deepened our commitment to the principles of a self-managed organization. We’ve learned that shared leadership is not only about structure, but also about culture, practice, and accountability. With four full-time staff, an Executive Director model makes the most sense for this moment. As our work evolves, so will our leadership structures.
In partnership and solidarity,
The CompassPoint Team
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