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By PAUL POST
Published:
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The Saratogian
SARATOGA
SPRINGS — The Prevention Council has named a Girl
Scouts of Northeastern New York official to succeed
Judy Ekman as the agency’s next executive director.
Heather Kisselback, the Girl Scouts’ chief operating
officer, will join the council on June 1 following
her recent unanimous election by its board of
directors.
Ekman, who has been director since 1993, will stay
at the council until June 30 to help ease
Kisselback’s transition into the job.
“I plan to spend as much time as I can with Judy to
learn about the agency, its staff and its
community,” Kisselback said.
She has homes in Queensbury and Hague, where her
husband is director of a large YMCA facility at
Silver Bay on Lake George.
Kisselback earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in
social work from Monmouth and Fordham universities,
respectively. She is a graduate of the Adirondack
Regional Chamber of Commerce’s leadership program
and is on the board of the Saratoga County Domestic
Violence Rape Crisis Center.
“She has a strong background in administration and
social work, which makes her ideally suited to move
into this agency,” Ekman said. “She also has
extremely good relational skills, which are
absolutely essential for this type of work.”
The council’s most immediate challenge is securing
adequate funding in the face of belt-tightening by
school districts and governments in these tough
economic times. The council has a $1.4 million
budget and 25 employees.
The nonprofit agency’s stated purpose is “to provide
education, information and referral services on the
subjects of alcohol, tobacco and other drug and
violence prevention to individuals and local
communities, thereby enhancing the quality of life
for all citizens by diminishing the adverse effects
of substance abuse and violence.”
Ekman began working for the Alcoholic & Substance
Council of Saratoga County in 1979, which merged
with a similar agency, the Alcohol & Substance Abuse
Prevention Project, to become The Prevention
Council. She said she is retiring to spend more time
with her family.
Board President Michael Smith praised Kisselback’s
selection.
“I’m pleased that we got someone with Heather’s
background, knowledge and energy,” he said.
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