Steve Geller to retire as Executive Director of SEVCA

Westminster, Vermont, August 3, 2021: After more than 17 years of dedicated leadership as Executive Director of Southeastern Vermont Community Action (SEVCA), and four decades of leadership in the Community Action network and the War on Poverty – not only in Vermont but also in New England and nationally – Steve Geller will be retiring at the end of December, 2021.

Under Steve’s leadership SEVCA has expanded the reach and impact of its programs serving people with low-income and developed a multi-faceted approach to meet the diverse and complex problems facing Vermonters in Windham and Windsor Counties as well as statewide. “Thanks to Steve and his deep commitment to fighting poverty, SEVCA is there with real and meaningful assistance to Vermonters that not only alleviates the hardships so many face, but offers a way towards a better life”, said Tom Dougherty, president of SEVCA’s Board of Directors. “Leadership transitions are always a challenge, but Steve’s solid management has ensured that SEVCA can be flexible and adapt to new crises, as we saw with the many initiatives SEVCA launched during the current pandemic. With the organization he and his team built and our incredibly talented and dedicated staff, we can look to a future in which SEVCA fulfills its mission with commitment, creativity and caring for our neighbors.”

“It’s been an enormous privilege and pleasure to be a partner in the fight against poverty as waged by the caring and committed staff at SEVCA day-after-day for the past 17 years,” said Geller. “There has never been a time when the outcomes Community Action helps to produce have been more vital, and I couldn’t be prouder about the role I played to enable that to happen. I can’t imagine devoting over half my life to anything more fulfilling and it’s very difficult to see it end, but I leave knowing that my colleagues at SEVCA and our sister organizations in Vermont and across the country will continue the fight in ways that meet people’s needs, improve their lives and enhance our communities, now and in the future.”
A search committee of board members and senior staff is leading the search, assisted by Beth Gilpin Consulting, a Vermont-based executive search and HR consulting company. Prospective applicants are encouraged to visit https://bethgilpin.com/current-openings/ for more information, and/or to submit an inquiry to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. The committee anticipates formally launching the search by mid-August, and interviewing candidates this fall.
SEVCA was created in 1965 as part of the nationwide ‘War on Poverty’ and Chartered as a Community Action Agency (CAA) – a private non-profit corporation, locally initiated and governed, and designated by local, state and federal officials as the ‘anti-poverty agency’ serving Windham and Windsor Counties. For more information visit www.sevca.org.