Letter from the Board of Directors of Girls on the Run Philadelphia
September 5, 2024
Dear Girls on the Run (GOTR) Philadelphia Community
Our dedicated Girls on the Run Philadelphia Board values the steadfast commitment, enthusiasm and support that our GOTR community provides all year long and as such we’re sharing an important leadership change with you.
After ten years of service, our Executive Director Colleen Kelly Howard has announced that she will be leaving our council on October 4 to pursue another opportunity. During this time of transition, we’re thrilled to be able to maintain strength in leadership and announce Heather Plastaras as the new Executive Director of Girls on the Run Philadelphia, effective October 5.
Heather joined Girls on the Run Philadelphia five years ago as the Program Manager for the council after previously serving as a volunteer, participant parent, and coach. She works extensively with all coaches and volunteers, leads the coach training program and has helped grow GOTR Philadelphia to be a larger partner in the community to consistently serve more girls annually.
Specifically, Heather has taken key roles in expanding the program to Bucks County, helping to organize the annual Sneaker Soirée fundraiser, working closely with the Board of Directors to ensure longevity of a successful program while supporting staff, advancing our council’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility commitments and more. Before GOTR, Heather received her Doctor of Psychology and maintained a solo practice before moving into customer experience for a major auto company for several years. She has a strong passion and enthusiasm for the program and an innate ability to effectively collaborate with coaches, the community and the girls we serve. We feel strongly as the Board of Directors in cultivating a program built on trust among our stakeholders through strength in leadership and are proud to now work even closer with Heather in continuing our important work throughout the area.
Colleen and Heather will continue to transition duties over the next month and we’re extremely thankful to Colleen for her leadership over the last 10 years. She came to Girls on the Run Philadelphia after successfully bringing the program to her daughters’ school and serving as their coach. Colleen was then appointed Executive Director and built the program from only 77 participants in six locations across Philadelphia to 1,375 annual participants at 75 schools across Philadelphia and Bucks County. Colleen has steadily built our program, which is supported by over 250 volunteer coaches and where 77% of the girls receive financial assistance to participate. She worked closely with the Executive and Associate boards, along with donors and corporations, to grow fundraising efforts to over $400,000 last year, so girls who want to participate are not turned away due to financial hardship. Colleen has led the organization with empathy, open heartedness and an always-positive attitude that lives up to the GOTR vision. During her tenure, GOTR Philadelphia expanded to include Bucks County; instituted an Associate Board of young professionals and established the annual Sneaker Soirée fundraiser among other incredible milestones for the organization and community over the last decade. We are extremely proud of her work, dedication and all she has done to build this incredible organization to what it is today. While Colleen will leave Girls on the Run Philadelphia on October 4, she will remain a valued member of our GOTR community. We wish her continued success and the very best in her new role. She will truly be missed by all of us.
This is an exciting time for new leadership at the organization. Your partnership is critical to the success of GOTR and we look forward to sharing more and connecting soon.
With Gratitude,
Girls on the Run Philadelphia Board of Directors
Donna Brenner, Chair
Doyt Jones, Vice Chair
Jamie Black, Treasurer
Kerry Patriarca, Secretary
Vianka Arnold, Ashley Behrens, Sarah Brumbley, Dave Foberg, Tracy Foster, Pat Gallagher, Emily Goldsleger, Ashley Harmon-Poston, Nalana Hinds, Christina Kowalski, Shawn Quigg, Bracha Rosenstein, Jessica Smith, Dylan Van Duyne, Paula Ward-Alfano, Kerry Zortea
From Colleen Kelly Howard, departing Executive Director
Dear Friends of Girls on the Run Philadelphia,
At Girls on the Run, we talk about the life skills imparted by the program as the 5C’s + 1 – character, confidence, competence, care, connection + contribution. I learned about the 5C’s for the first time when I introduced them to the members of the first Girls on the Run team I volunteered to coach at my daughter’s school in 2014. When that season was over, I carried the skills with me as I followed my newfound passion on a truly transformational journey. For the past ten years, as our organization’s Executive Director, those same lessons empowered me to challenge myself in big and small ways to try new things, step outside of my comfort zone, and advance our mission with compassion.
Connection has been at the heart of my role leading Girls on the Run Philadelphia. It is far and away what I have loved most about this role, and I am grateful to have had the good fortune to meet, befriend, and forge lasting relationships with countless amazing people both in my community and across the country. I’ve been humbled to witness thousands of GOTR Philly supporters, connected by their passion for our mission, give their time, talent, and treasure in service to the young people in our community. I will carry that spirit of generosity with me forever and look forward to paying it forward in your honor.
My trusted colleague, Heather Plastaras, brings the same deep belief in the power of connection to her role as the next leader for GOTR Philly. Even before she joined our official staff five years ago, Heather was building connections on our behalf. Whether it was introducing GOTR to her neighborhood public school, volunteering as a coach so her daughter could participate in the program, or sharing our mission with her personal network, Heather was all in on GOTR from her first exposure to the program. Heather’s dedication and persistence, ingenuity, adaptability – the same traits imparted to our participants through the Girls on the Run curriculum – have been on full display in her role as Program Manager and will fuel her success as our next Executive Director.
I leave my time serving Girls on the Run Philadelphia with innumerable stories forever imprinted on my heart, from challenges overcome to goals achieved and, ultimately, relationships transformed. I also leave knowing that improving the lives of girls in our community is Heather’s North Star. I am excited to cheer on Heather and her team as they unleash their limitless potential to lead Girls on the Run Philly through its next chapter. For both Girls on the Run Philadelphia and the girls we serve, I am confident the best is yet to come!
With profound gratitude,
Colleen Kelly Howard
From Heather Plastaras, incoming Executive Director
Dear Girls on the Run Community,
I feel an ocean of gratitude to Colleen for her passionate and thoughtful leadership of Girls on the Run Philadelphia nearly since its inception 12 years ago. She has been a positive and inspiring role model for our staff, our Executive Board and our Associate Board over her ten-year tenure. She was absolutely instrumental in growing and diversifying our Executive Board and helping to launch and grow our Associate Board. From the seemingly small detail of 5k organizing to a large-scale organizational strategic planning process, her attention to detail has been impressive, and her impact has been immeasurable.
Being Colleen's colleague and working together to grow our program exponentially over the last five years has been a highlight of my professional life! She is an empathic and welcoming thought partner for me, other staff, Board members, families of our participants and the wider GOTR community. It has been an honor to be mentored by an absolute GOTR superstar. Above all else, for us, working together toward our goal of helping girls unleash their limitless potential has been SO MUCH FUN! When I visit a team during the season, I can see and feel the impact of our program in a multitude of ways - seeing teammates share emotions with each other, participants reflecting on what makes each of them unique and special, cheering each other on when running laps, and giving a teammate an Energy Award for their support.
Devotion, loyalty and hard work are attributes Colleen and I share. The immediate future will be both exciting and challenging, and I will need to rely on these attributes as I navigate this new role. As you may already know, I have spent the last 5 years as the Program Manager for GOTR Philadelphia with a wide range of GOTR experience in the years before that. From a 5K volunteer to a parent of a GOTR participant to a coach mentor to a staff member, I have deep knowledge of, experience with, and love for Girls on the Run and our work to expand our program to many more girls in our community in the coming years.
I am so looking forward to working with you to build upon the momentum that Colleen and GOTR Philadelphia have built over its history and I invite you to engage in conversation with me to keep our organization accountable to our community as we work together to build the world our girls deserve. I look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas!
With anticipation & joy,
Heather Plastaras