Mentor Alliance tabs Brown as new head

The Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance has named Lee Morgan Brown as its new executive director succeeding founding executive director Kathy Witkowicki, who last year announced her retirement after 19 years at the helm.

Morgan Brown will assume her duties as executive director in mid-July. She and Witkowicki will work together for a period this summer to insure a smooth transition.

Morgan Brown’s selection comes after an extensive nationwide search for a new director to replace Witkowicki, who commented on Morgan Brown’s selection saying, “I feel confident that the search committee has done an incredible job in selecting Lee Morgan Brown as my successor. As a Sonoma resident, Lee already has deep roots in this community, as well as vast experience in creative fundraising. But what I admire most is that she is caring, kind-hearted and compassionate, all great traits to have when running a Mentoring Program.”

Morgan Brown came to Sonoma from Dallas, Texas, 10 years ago after early career experience in hotel management and wide-ranging work in geriatric care. Search committee chairperson, Karen Rathman, said “Lee’s past successes have included program management, training and development, fundraising in diverse populations and team collaboration on philanthropic boards.”

Since coming to Sonoma, Morgan Brown has been active with the Sonoma Charter School where she spearheaded a program to get all parents, students and staff involved in fundraising to help support the school’s programs. Morgan Brown’s three sons attend the Sonoma Charter School.

“It is a great honor to have been chosen to head the Alliance and to work alongside the dedicated staff, the Mentor Center facilitators, the mentors, mentees and board of directors,” Morgan Brown said. “I have deep respect and gratitude for all of the hard work, energy and creativity Kathy has given to the organization that she has dynamically and lovingly led for so many years. The next chapter of the Alliance will be an exciting one. The Sonoma Valley Mentoring Alliance is an incredible combination of community spirit and people coming together to help raise Sonoma’s kids.”

Morgan Brown will be only the second director of the organization that has matched adult mentors with local students through the Stand by Me program for the past 19 years.

“Our choice of Lee Morgan Brown leaves us feeling inspired and energized to move into the second chapter of this incredibly dynamic, worthwhile organization,” added Rathman.

Currently there are more than 450 mentors involved in the program. The Mentoring Alliance has Mentor Centers on the eight public school campuses in the Sonoma Valley Unified School District, and has matched more than 1,600 children with mentors over the past 19 years.

For more information on one-on-one or group mentoring, contact the Mentoring office at 938-1990 or visit the website at sonomamentoring.org.