Thrive Chelan Valley has selected a new Executive Director to take over for Kayla Helleson, who turned in her resignation recently. Thrive has selected Karel Sahlberg, who takes over July 1st.
Sahlberg’s background is in public education as she taught English Language Arts and Social Studies at Valley View Middle School in Snohomish for over 20 years before retiring in 2021. Beyond her impact as a classroom teacher, Sahlberg also led enriching programs for teens in her district, including WEB (Where Everyone Belongs), a mentoring program which utilizes the eighth-grade leadership to welcome sixth and seventh graders and help them feel comfortable in their first years of middle school.
Sahlberg will collaborate with another Thrive new hire, Stefani Morgan, who will begin her role as Program Director next week. Morgan also brings expertise from the public school sector, as she was employed with Lake Chelan School District for more than a decade and served in a variety of roles including Paraprofessional, Online Learning Coordinator and Website Specialist. In addition, Morgan’s service as a Thrive volunteer over the past four years will position her to lead and expand Thrive’s reach on Lake Chelan valley youth in the program realm.
Sahlberg and Morgan will engage in onboarding and training with Helleson through the summer to ensure a smooth transition. Priorities of both new staff members in the coming months are connecting with youth, volunteers, donors, and partners, continuing summer programming, and preparing for a brand new school year, full of opportunities to serve local youth, including the re-opening of the Thrive Teen Center in October.