Watertown Urban Mission names VanBrocklin executive director

“I’m just really thrilled, I’m honored to be able to take the lead in the Urban Mission,” Ms. VanBrocklin said. “I think that I have amazing staff, they work hard every day to advocate for those in the community, and I’m very excited for the future and how we can steer the mission into continuing to provide the resources that people really need.”

Ms. VanBrocklin has been with the Mission for almost six years. When she started, she was a part-time employee in the HEARTH program and then directed that program until it lost funding. From there, she worked her way up to overseeing the Mission’s housing programs, as well as the CARE Center.

Before the Mission, Ms. VanBrocklin, who grew up in Pulaski, worked in Oswego County and also spent time at home after the birth of her daughter. Looking for other employment led her to Jefferson County and eventually the Mission. She said the Urban Mission has been the best agency she’s worked for and that it has a strong team of staff.

“We all work together very efficiently, and once you’ve been here for a little bit, you have all of that support from the other staff and your co-workers. It’s very hard to even think about going to another agency and not having that,” Ms. VanBrocklin said. “I believe that Dawn left us in a really great position and she made some changes that were vital to keeping the organization fluid. I want to keep that up as we move into some uncharted territory with the current housing crisis and homelessness.”

An area of focus for the Mission will be homelessness in the area, Ms. VanBrocklin said, though it is too early to share specifics on what more might be done. She noted that the CARE Center has assisted those it can, but improvements can always be made.

“I really just want to pick up where Dawn left off and continue to strive to work with our members of the community to get things better,” Ms. VanBrocklin said.

Salary for the position, based on its job posting, will be based on experience in the range of $58,000 to $65,000 for 40 hours of work per week. According to the organization’s Form 990 from 2020, the most recent available on GuideStar, Ms. Cole received $61,483 in compensation from the organization as the former executive director.

According to longtime board member RoAnn J. Dermady, there was a search committee consisting of six members to find a new executive director.

She said the committee received eight applications and of those, two applicants were interviewed. She said Ms. VanBrocklin was definitely the star of those two.

“She met many of the qualifications that we were looking for. She had management skills; she has a BA in sociology; she’s known within the community; she’s got good leadership skills; she knows the Urban Mission inside and out; and she knows all of the programs within the Urban Mission,” Mrs. Dermady said. “We’re very excited that she applied for the position. She was a unanimous vote by the board and we’re excited to bring her on board as our executive director.”

Ms. Dermady said that one of Ms. VanBrocklin’s most important qualities is that she is well-respected by Urban Mission staff. Mrs. Dermady said she thinks Ms. VanBrocklin will be successful in this new role, with her experience, education and relationship with the staff.

“We’re looking forward to her leadership, management and supervision, and going forward I’m sure that she will bring on many new ideas,” Mrs. Dermady said. “Cher has a really strong grasp of the needs of the community and a strong commitment to the Mission, so we think that she’s a great fit for the next executive director of the Urban Mission.”