Lutherans hire "transition" expert to get LIRS back on track

Earlier this month Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service announced a transition CEO (you could call him a fixer) in the wake of the sudden departure of former CEO Linda Hartke.
Can he save the organization?

Linda Hartke resigned amid internal turmoil.

Michael Patrick Leahy at Breitbart reports the story here:

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), one of the nine voluntary agencies (VOLAGs)*** who, until the current fiscal year, have collectively been paid more than $1 billion annually by the federal government to resettle refugees, has named an interim CEO after the previous CEO, Linda Hartke, resigned abruptly in February.

Hartke’s resignation came after the completion of an internal investigation first reported by Breitbart News.

VOLAGs receive almost all of their funding from the federal government, with revenues tied directly to the number of refugees resettled. Refugee admissions have plummeted under the Trump administration, driving VOLAG revenues down dramatically – placing the ability of several to continue operating in question.

[….]

pat nichols 2 — Pat Nichols is interim CEO hired to straighten out LIRS. http://patnicholstransitions.com/what-i-do/

“(LIRS) is excited to announce the appointment of Pat Nichols as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer, effective Thursday, April 5, 2018.”

[….]

According to his website, Nichols founded Transition Leadership International, LLC “[i]n 1996, after leading two civic sector organizations through major transitions.”

[….]

Neither Rinehart (LIRS board chairman) nor Nichols made any mention of the investigation that prompted his predecessor’s departure.

Critics say that money flowed so freely to the VOLAGs under the Obama administration that many lacked sufficient financial controls.

With the reduction of revenue associated with the decline of refugee admissions under the Trump administration, operational weaknesses that were previously unnoticed, have now come to the forefront in many VOLAGs.

Read it all for more details and to follow links.

Nichols has his work cut out for him because LIRS business model depended almost completely on federal funding—97% of what they operate on is taxpayer-supplied money last time we checked.

For my ever-expanding archive on Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, click here.

*** I post the contractor list almost every day because I want new readers to know exactly who is responsible for driving the US Refugee Admissions Program (in addition to the UN!). We are hearing reports that all nine might not survive the year. Is LIRS one that could fail?
The number in parenthesis is the percentage of the nine VOLAGs’ income paid by you (the taxpayer) to place the refugees, line them up with (low paying) jobs in food production and cleaning hotel rooms, and get them signed up for their services (welfare)! From most recent accounting, here.