Sharon Osborne, president/CEO from Children’s Home Society of Washington
CONTACT: Janica Lockhart, Senior Director, President’s Office, 206-718-6539, [email protected]
Children’s Home Society of Washington
president/CEO will end tenure in 2018
A lifetime champion for children and families steps down
SEATTLE—Oct. 27, 2017—Sharon Osborne has announced that she is stepping down in 2018 as the 14th president/CEO from Children’s Home Society of Washington (CHSW), which ends a 28-year run leading of one of the largest and historically impactful child and family organizations in the country. CHSW Board of Trustees has launched a national search for the leadership position.
“It has been my privilege to serve at the helm of this amazing organization for almost three decades,” Osborne said. “I make this transition knowing that Children’s Home Society of Washington is at its most robust growth period in its more than 120-year history with an ambitious vision and strategic plan to carry us into the future.”
“Because of Sharon’s leadership, Children’s Home Society of Washington is known in the state and across the country for its excellence,” said Board of Trustee Chair Neal F. Lessenger.
Osborne joined CHSW in 1986 to develop the organization’s new strategic direction and manage programming in the Puget Sound region. In 1989, she was named the president/CEO and shifted the work of the organization toward prevention services to keep children from entering the state’s public child welfare system, particularly foster care.
Under her leadership, CHSW has seen tremendous growth. The number of children and their families that CHSW supports has quadrupled to over 30,000 annually. She also has increased the number of service sites commensurately as well as the annual operating budget to $25 million.
In 2014, Osborne and the CHSW Board of Trustees established a multimillion-dollar Children’s Home Society & Trust Foundation in order to ensure a lasting private dollar income for services to CHSW children in perpetuity.
Osborne has a remarkable history of state and national acclaim having served in officer and leadership positions on numerous commissions, task forces and boards including Child Welfare League of America, Council on Accreditation, and the International Forum for Child Welfare.
During her tenure, Osborne and CHSW have developed solid relationships with state and national governments, policy makers, philanthropists and academics. She has extended her advocacy work beyond the state of Washington nationally and internationally especially in her current role as trustee of CARF international, an international accrediting body for health and social services, and as board chair for Children’s Home Society of America.
Founded in 1896, Children’s Home Society of Washington is the oldest and largest statewide nonprofit children’s organization—serving nearly 30,000 children and their families. Its mission is to develop healthy children, create strong families, build engaged communities, and speak and advocate for children.
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