BRUNSWICK
Melanie Sachs, executive director of Freeport Community Services, has resigned from her position effective Sept. 6.
Sachs, also chairwoman of the Freeport Town Council, will be taking on the role of executive director at Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine in Portland.
“It has been such a joy to serve my community as the executive director of Freeport Community Services,” Sachs said in a release announcing her departure.
“FCS has seen tremendous growth over the past few years, thanks to a strong team and wonderful community support, and I am deeply honored to have been part of that work. However, my new position with Sexual Assault Response Services of Southern Maine reflects a return to my clinical social work roots in victim advocacy and crisis services, at a time of exciting and critical growth for the organization. I am truly looking forward to this new chapter,” Sachs said.
Catherine Richards Olney, president of the FCS board of directors, said Sachs inherited an organization that needed a lot of infrastructure when she took on her role there just over three years ago.
“She doggedly did that work and established better protocols and policies for internal procedures. I think she’s leaving an organization that’s on really, really strong footing,” Olney said.
The relatively short notice of Sachs’ departure was due to SARSSM being in a state of transition and needing the vacancy filled immediately. It was fortunate that FCS is currently in a quiet phase, having just finished some major projects, according to Olney.
“We’ve finished up some really key initiatives that she was part of — the development and marketing strategic plan as well as an overall strategic plan for Freeport Community Services,” Olney said.
Olney said that in an ideal world there would have been more time, however, FCS has put together a search committee for Sachs’ replacement and will have an interim executive director, possibly until the end of the year.
“I think it’s exciting that she’s moving on to something that she really cares about and the timing seemed right,” Olney said, calling Sachs “a very capable change agent, spokesperson for the organization and the needs of the community.”
Olney said FCS is excited for what the future holds for both them and Sachs as they move forward, saying FCS is ready to take off in a new direction with the organization on solid ground.
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