Center loses executive director

CLEARFIELD —The Family Connection Center, a Clearfield-based social service agency, has lost its executive director for the second time this year.

Family Connection Center board members announced late last month that they had lured Lynne Shaffer away from her leadership duties at the Salt Lake City-based Center for Executive Women International.

Shaffer was to begin working at the Family Connection Center on a transitional, shared-time basis beginning in December but told board members she had decided not to accept their offer and instead will stay with her current employer.

Shaffer previously served as Davis County regional director for United Way of Salt Lake. Her hiring came after the abrupt departure this summer of Sharon Anderson, the agency’s longtime director.

Anderson did not return phone calls from the Standard-Examiner for comment about her departure. She officially retired from the position in August.

But the new board chairman and others admitted there was administrative tension between Anderson and some parts of the community.

“Change can be good for everybody sometimes,” said Davis Country Commissioner John Petroff, who became chairman of the Family Connection Center board of directors this month.

“We need a strong leader for the continued success of the agency. People have stepped up to fill the void as we search for a new director,” he said.

The Family Connection Center (www.familyconnection4u.org) is a private, nonprofit agency serving residents of Davis and Morgan counties with a variety of programs and social services.

They include food bank and emergency assistance, as well as programs involving housing, nursery and respite care, parenting, family and individual therapy, child-care referral, service delivery networks and strengthening neighborhoods.

The agency is funded by federal, state and city dollars, along with donations from United Way and others.

Jason Wilde, previously the Family Connection Center program and therapy director, will stay on as interim executive director.

Petroff said the board will renew the search for a new executive director.