The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Brinda named BBBS CEO
Former Elyria mayor set to take helm June 15
After almost a year of operating without a permanent CEO, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Lorain County has chosen former Elyria mayor Holly Brinda to head the organization.
Brinda will begin her new role
June 15.
“We’re very excited about Holly coming on board as our new president and CEO,” said Susan Elder, chairperson of the Big Brothers Big Sisters Board of Directors.
Elder said what was particularly unique about Brinda’s qualifications is that before her eight years as mayor, she served in several roles in fundraising and development of nonprofits.
“With her background, her experience in leading the city of Elyria for eight years, her networking contacts are outstanding,” Elder said.
Brinda was unavailable for comment.
The organization has split its leadership between two senior staff members for interim responsibilities as of last August, she said.
In searching for a CEO, the organization formed a search committee, with the job search process bringing in around 100 applicants for the position, Elder said.
“I was just very impressed with the responses that we received and the caliber of the application,” she said.
Of those applicants, 10 to 12 candidates were chosen to move forward with.
The organization conducted phone interviews and narrowed down the search further to four or five candidates, Elder said.
This process was new to Elder, as all of it was through tele-communications and video conferencing.
It wasn’t until Elder and Brinda met one-on-one at an outdoor cafe that the position was offered to the former mayor.
“She has a passion for continuing to serve in Lorain County and a passion for one-on-one mentoring serving the children of Lorain County,” Elder said.
As for next steps for Big Brothers Big Sisters, Elder said the organization has a vision under Brinda’s leadership to expand its programs and engage a larger number of children in the county.
Currently, the organization still is mentoring children through online services, but is on its way to integrating social distancing and the reopening of offices to start later in the month.