Letter from Loren Thacker, Cornerstone Board Chair
Dear Friends,
As the Chair of Cornerstone’s Board of Directors, I am excited to announce that Artika Roller will be joining Cornerstone as the new Executive Director on October 23rd, 2023. Artika is currently the Executive Director of the Minnesota Coalition Against Sexual Assault (MNCASA), a statewide coalition driving transformative culture change to address sexual violence through advocacy, prevention, racial justice, and systems change. Artika has been a leader in the field of domestic and sexual violence services for over twenty years. She brings both a wealth of experience and a spirit of innovation to our organization. Artika has held direct service roles and leadership positions at The Family Partnership, Women’s Advocates, and Hennepin County.
As we begin this new chapter for Cornerstone, we want to thank Meg Schnabel for her tenure as Executive Director, who will be retiring at the end of October. Over the past 9 years, Meg has been instrumental in the growth of Cornerstone through the establishment of the MN Day One Call Center, general crime services, and our expanded housing and economic stability services. She will stay on for a limited period to help with creating a smooth leadership transition.
Cornerstone has been highly successful in retaining strong leaders that have contributed to moving Cornerstone forward and achieving that next level of impact for our participants. Our Board and leadership team are committed to building upon the significant progress that has been made and know that Artika will be carrying forward many of our core strategic objectives. Some of these include increasing our diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts; enhancing employee wellness and development; strengthening our infrastructure to support our overall mission; and deepening our revenue streams.
We all are excited to welcome Artika to Cornerstone and see what can be accomplished under her leadership. Many of you will have an opportunity to meet her at our 40th anniversary fundraising event in October. You can learn more about the event here.
Thank you for all that you do to support our mission.
In Gratitude,
Loren Thacker
Board Chair
