Dear Friends:
I write to let you know that a few weeks ago I informed Public Law Center’s Board and Staff that 2022 will be my last year at PLC. After having the honor and privilege of serving as PLC’s Executive Director and General Counsel for over 21 years, I’ve made the decision to retire.
Even in the midst of the most turbulent times in a generation, PLC has never been in a better position to provide access to justice for our most vulnerable neighbors in Orange County. I’m excited to see the impact future PLC leaders will achieve in partnership with all of you.
The Board has formed a search committee, chaired by PLC officers Nicole Whyte and Dina Randazzo. The committee is in the process of hiring a recruiting firm to assist in this effort and once a firm is hired, we’ll distribute appropriate information through PLC’s normal communication channels.
My work at PLC has been the most satisfying and fulfilling of my 40-year legal career. Starting with a staff of 12 and a budget of $720,000 in September 2000, I never would have imagined we would grow to a staff of 50 and a budget of $7 million today. Over the years, we’ve started new projects including our Immigration and Consumer Units, our Community Organizations Legal Assistance Project (COLAP) and Operation Veterans’ Re-Entry. And we’ve greatly expanded our work in the areas of eviction defense, domestic violence, affordable housing advocacy and medical-legal partnerships.
On the way, PLC experienced the Great Recession, a global pandemic and myriad obstacles large and small. Through the many challenges, we remained strong – always striving for access to justice for our clients.
My 21-year long journey leading PLC has been deeply rewarding because of the impact we’ve made on so many lives. Those life changing impacts came about through the hard work of our extraordinary staff and board, current and past, and the thousands of volunteers for justice who have served with us over the years.
Thank you all for your efforts and for giving me the opportunity to share with you this journey toward greater access to justice in Orange County.
Best,
Ken