The Board of The Smith Family paid tribute to Elaine Henry today following the announcement that she is to step down as CEO of The Smith Family, effective 31 December 2010.
 
"After more than 12 years of leading The Smith Family, Elaine Henry has decided that the end of 2010 is the appropriate time to say farewell.
 
"As CEO, Elaine presided over a major transformation of The Smith Family, an opportunity she was given back in 1998 with the full support of the Board.
 
"Elaine was instrumental in ensuring that the organisation would be ready for the challenges of the 21^st century. She determined, based on evidence, that The Smith Family would move from its welfare orientation towards focusing on education as the key to unlocking opportunities for disadvantaged children to participate more fully in society.
 
"In the next decade many thousands of disadvantaged children were able to access literacy and mentoring opportunities facilitated by The Smith Family, to get the step up they needed to achieve their goals as adults.
 
"In 2008, Elaine set in motion preparations for the next phase of the organisation and has spent the last two years ensuring the right framework and models are in place, recruiting new staff to strengthen our organisational capacity and nurturing relationships with new partners.
 
"With the organisation in strong shape and reflecting on the bright future ahead, Elaine has determined that it is the right time to say farewell at the end of 2010. Elaine will be taking up new opportunities in 2011 allowing her to continue contributing towards social change, a key driver for her work over the last 25 years.
 
"In light of the vital role that The Smith Family plays in the Australian community, and in accordance with the professionalism and the values we share, it is important for all our stakeholders, especially the children and families we support and our staff, sponsors, donors, corporate and community partners, volunteers and the members of VIEW Clubs of Australia, to be assured of an orderly transition to the next phase in our journey. Elaine looks forward to working with our myriad partners over the next few months as these foundations are laid.
 
"The Board has engaged Heidrick & Struggles in a search for a new CEO.  An announcement about the new appointment will be made towards the end of the year.  
 
"The Board would like to acknowledge and sincerely thank Elaine Henry for her immense efforts on behalf of the many thousands of kids and families supported through The Smith Family. Elaine's contribution has been substantial, both in building the respect and esteem the organisation enjoys within the corporate, government and non-profit sectors and in tirelessly seeking out new ways to better support our kids and families.
 
"The best way to reflect on this is to recall the many inspiring stories as told by the kids themselves, which have been shared during the years under her leadership.  These stories, more than anything else, show how life-changing our support can be and the true value of our organisation's direction and purpose."
 
"On behalf of the Board and staff, we wish Elaine all the very best for her future following her departure from The Smith Family at the end of 2010."
 
John G Kelly, AM
Chairman The Smith Family Board