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Saying goodbye after 10 years

June 3, 2022

826 Boston Executive Director Jessica Drench looks at a book in the Wrtiers' Room at Boston International Newcomers Academy.

On May 27, Jessica Drench stepped down as 826 Boston’s Executive Director after six years in the role and more than ten years of dedicated service to the organization.

With Jess at the helm, our organization has achieved remarkable things. We have grown to serve nearly 30,000 students, deepened our relationships within the communities that we serve, and tripled the size of our team. We have also strengthened and scaled our work through the Writers’ Room and School-Based Partnership programs. To fuel this expansion, we raised $3 million in 826 Boston’s first-ever capital campaign.

As 826 Boston Board President Gillian Kohli recently shared, “Jessica has been an incredible leader of our organization for over a decade, and on behalf of the board, we’d like to thank her for her service and commitment to 826 Boston.”

There are lots of exciting opportunities up ahead. As part of our new strategic plan, we’ll expand our in-school programs to reach students who may not have had access to 826 Boston before, continue to grow our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion initiatives, and foster partnerships with corporate and other non-profit organizations. We’ll miss Jess dearly as we embark on the next phase of our work, but as she’s reminded us recently, it’s truly astounding what can be achieved when you work together as a team. And that’s a lesson we’ll never forget.

Help us thank Jess for her extraordinary leadership and wish her all the best in her new chapter. Send her a note of appreciation here!


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