14 Aug Wade Announces Planned Departure from MCJ as President and CEO
Dear MCJ Friends,
Thank you for your unwavering commitment and support of the Mississippi Center for Justice. Your dedication to our cause has been a source of inspiration and strength, and we are deeply grateful for your continued support.
You have been an integral part of our work since I assumed the role of president and CEO of MCJ more than four years ago. Your vote of confidence has inspired me, as together, we have fought to make Mississippi a more just and equitable state.
It’s with a bittersweet mix of sadness, excitement, and optimism that I’m writing to let you know that at the end of this year, I will be stepping down as MCJ’s president and CEO. The MCJ Board of Directors has launched a national search for the next leader of this amazing organization. I will remain on board through January 2025 to assist with the transition and ensure that MCJ is in well-prepared hands.
I want you to know I am not leaving MCJ to accept another position. Instead, I’m leaving MCJ because my mission here is complete. I accepted the role in 2020 with a clear set of objectives. Those goals included:
Improving Financial Position
Over the past four years, MCJ’s net assets have grown significantly, from $2 million to $12 million, a testament to our solid and secure financial position.
Enlarging MCJ’s Footprint and Recognition
We have worked tirelessly to combat injustice—whether it is empowering and protecting land ownership against predatory developers through our Heirs’ Property advocacy, supporting Black farmworkers in the Delta facing discrimination, or identifying educational disparities exacerbated by COVID-19 and implementing resources for students with learning disabilities in historically underserved school districts.
What happens in Mississippi matters beyond this state’s borders. Mississippi has always been central to the national fight for equity and equal justice. MCJ is well-positioned to ensure that neither our state nor our nation forgets that silence and complacency are not the answer.
Our work has been featured in the national media, with coverage in the New York Times, Washington Post, on national television, and in countless digital publications, podcasts, and online media. MCJ has become a respected, nationally recognized voice in racial, social, and economic justice. In 2023, during our Mississippi on the Potomac awards reception, I was most honored and proud to have recognized Congressman Bennie Thompson and members of the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack Special Committee’s important work protecting our democracy.
Building an Infrastructure and a Staff for Success
MCJ now has key staff positions, including directors of operations, advocacy, philanthropy, and communications. Our accounting and HR procedures, both internal and external, meet or exceed industry standards. Our staff has engaged in professional development and learned to work collaboratively for the big-picture good of the organization and the people we serve. The right team is in place for the next step forward.
The goals I set have been met, and the pillars I came on board to strengthen are secure. I feel good about what we have accomplished and am confident I am leaving MCJ in a solid position. It is time for the next visionary leader to move MCJ to the next level.
While I will no longer lead the charge, I remain passionately committed to MCJ’s mission. I hope you will express similar confidence by continuing your generous support of MCJ.
This year our Board of Directors has chosen to honor me as the 2024 Champion of Justice. I hope, too, that you will join me on September 26th for my last Champions of Justice reception and awards event at the helm of MCJ. This will be an evening of celebration as we look back at all we have accomplished together since January 2020 and an evening of excitement as we look ahead to MCJ’s future.
I would also be honored if you would join me September 27th-29th for The Great Mississippi Road Trip. This immersive, inspiring journey will take you to the sites where civil rights history was made. The Road Trip also offers an opportunity for me to personally share with you some of the most memorable moments of my tenure. For more information on this year’s Champions of Justice reception and awards event and The Great Mississippi Road Trip, please contact Tosha Taylor at ttaylor@mscenterforjustice.org.
It is no exaggeration to say that MCJ changes people’s lives. I can honestly say that my life has changed for the better because of this organization of which I have been so privileged to be a part. Thank you for trusting me to lead MCJ.
Warmest regards,
Vangela M. Wade
President and CEO