After 25+ years of leading Survivors of Torture, International, I have shared with our board and staff of my plans to retire. I will guide the organization until September 30, 2022, my official retirement date. I am confident SURVIVORS is in a strong and robust position for the next executive director (yet to be identified) to creatively shape the growth that lies ahead.
SURVIVORS will be celebrating its 25th anniversary this year having been formally established February 27, 1997. In this milestone year, we have chosen the theme “Moving Through the Journey: 25 Years of Healing.” It will be a time to reflect on and celebrate the accomplishments we have had to fulfill SURVIVORS’ mission. I am genuinely proud of the positive impact we have had on the lives of thousands of torture survivors and their families who have greatly benefited from our diverse, yet tailored, services and also of the weaving of torture treatment into the fabric of the community of San Diego and beyond.
I am grateful to my co-founders, Bill Radatz and George Falk, as well as our board leadership, staff, mental health providers, pro bono physicians and other volunteers, university interns, community partners, immigration attorneys, donors, supporters and so many more who believe in the power of healing the wounds of torture and in creating a welcoming community for all to truly belong. I am also incredibly grateful to the resilient torture survivors themselves who I have had the privilege to learn from. Lastly, I am very grateful to my family who have been supportive throughout these 25 years while on this incredible journey.
The 25th anniversary is the time to not only look back but even more importantly to also look forward and dream of what more will be accomplished in the next 25 years. You will receive additional information about this transformative year as plans develop and take shape.