Leadership transition begins at Senior Center of West Seattle

After six years, Lyle Evans is retiring as executive director of the Senior Center of West Seattle.

The transition just started Monday – Amy Lee Derenthal‘s first day as interim executive director; she is a West Seattleite and longtime veteran of nonprofit work who has been leading the SCWS board.

In his farewell message in the newest SCWS newsletter, Evans says:

I will be leaving to spend more time with family and friends and follow my lifelong dream of travelling internationally.

My time at the Center has been the singular best experience in my professional life. The past 6 years spent here at our “Jewel of the Junction” have enriched me as a leader and as a human being. I am extraordinarily proud of our fulfilling and important work providing a welcoming, inclusive second home where all seniors and those who love them can feel safe, included and vital. In 2019, we served over 4100 seniors in West Seattle.

We talked with Evans and Derenthal by phone; they plan to work side by side over the next two months to ensure a smooth transition.

She has applied for the permanent position and told us, “It’s my dream job.”

You’ll have a chance to say goodbye to Evans at the center’s annual fundraising breakfast, “The Joy Is in the Journey, “ on April 28th; get info and tickets here.

(WSB file photos)

Pete March 4, 2020 (9:27 am)

Thanks Lyle for all of your efforts in making the lives of our West Seattle seniors better. And most folks probably don’t realize all of your other efforts behind the scenes to make all of the peninsula a better place to call home. I wish you well in this next chapter of your life my friend. And now turning the reins over to the more than capable Amy Lee. You will do great things for our community and I for one can’t wait to see the results.