29 May 2008
Dear Colleagues,
I am writing to let you know that I will be leaving the position of
Executive Director of ARCUS within the next year. This will be a gradual
transition that will take place over the next six to nine months.
Although I am sad to be leaving a position in which I have learned so
much and had so many opportunities over the years, in what is now my
17th year at ARCUS, I feel that it is time to pursue new challenges and
look for other ways of doing the work I love to do.
The pleasures during my time at ARCUS have been many - the opportunities
to work with a wonderfully diverse and productive international research
community, the fruitful collaborations with many different agencies,
organizations, and institutions, and the connections I have made with so
many talented and creative people. There have been many challenges over
the years as well, but challenges are the path to learning, gaining
skills, and testing oneself, and so it has been for me.
I hope to continue working with the research community, and with ARCUS,
in the future, albeit in a different capacity. In the meantime, the
ARCUS Board of Directors is taking time to assess the organization's
programs and activities, including a period of strategic planning, prior
to initiating a search for a new executive director. We are working
together toward a stable and effective transition to new leadership - a
transition that is underway now and that we hope will be complete within
the next year.
My departure is not imminent - I will be here for many months to
come - but I want to take the time now to thank the very vibrant
research, education, and stakeholder communities represented by our
ArcticInfo subscribership for the many years of collaboration,
mentoring, and friendship that I have experienced during the time I have
worked with ARCUS.
Sincerely,
Wendy K. Warnick
Executive Director, ARCUS