Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

TaKeisha Walker’s Farewell Message

Jun 2, 2022 |

Dear Amputee Coalition Stakeholders,

As I prepare to leave Amputee Coalition on June 3, 2022, I am grateful to have played an integral role in shaping what I hope is the future of the organization in ways that will continue to uphold our commitment to the three tenets: no amputee alone, living well with limb loss, and limb loss is not uncommon and becoming less uncommon every day.

During the past 1.5 years as Chief Operating Officer, I have had the pleasure to lead our development, human resources, finance, information technology, communications, and operations efforts and facilitated incredible growth in these areas Including:

  • Securing $160K in funding under the Administration for Community Living Expanding the Public Health Workforce grant opportunity. This funding will allow Amputee Coalition to add a fully funded, full-time staff position to our roster for 30 months.
  • Launching Amputee Coalition’s Corporate Council responsible for more than $80K in revenue in 2021 and 2022 from nine members. Corporate Council organizes thought leaders and decision makers from various industries to interact with the limb loss and limb difference community and act on public health issues relevant to the community.
  • Modernizing Amputee Coalition’s infrastructure to support a “work form anywhere” approach. Enhancements include a full roll out of cloud-based technologies (Microsoft 365), data security measures (i.e., SSO, MFA), updated and inclusive budgeting process, redesigned onboarding/offboarding process to accommodate remote work, closing the Knoxville office, and moving and establishing a new DC headquarters for the Coalition.
  • Focusing on diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensuring that Amputee Coalition’s staff is demographically representative of the more than 2.1 million Americans living with limb loss and limb difference. More than half of the current, full-time staff members are Black and people of color. In February 2021, this number was two.

Under my leadership, the Coalition also prioritized organizational development to better position us to reach and serve our entire community. I hope that the operational and foundational work that we started continues as it is essential in achieving the desired impact of the organization.

I wish you the best moving forward.

Sincerely,

takiesha signature

 

TaKeisha S. Walker