By Sesh News Report
The Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio Board of Trustees named Christie Kuhns as its interim President and CEO. Kuhns will succeed Eddie Koen who resigned effective January 14, 2022, when he departs for his new position with a national nonprofit organization.
The Miami Valley Urban League is a subsidiary of the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio in Cincinnati.
Kuhns is an attorney and former vice president at UC Medical Center in Cincinnati. Five months ago Kuhns left UC Medical Center after working their for five years serving as Vice President of operations and community relations, served as chief of staff for the COO, and the director of community strategic planning.
Urban League Board Chair, J. Phillip Holloman, said “We are fortunate to have Christie, a talented and accomplished leaders as our interim president and CEO.”
Last week, the Board of Trustees accepted Koens resignation noting that he has provided invaluable guidance and wisdom to the League’s staff during his tenure.
“He has guided the Cincinnati and Dayton communities through the trying torrents of COVID-19, launched the Center for Social Justice with a million-dollar gift, and served over 40,000 people. Eddie’s accomplishments are many, and his impact is felt by the League and the tens of thousands of lives touched by the organization,” the Board stated in a released statement.
Koen said he recalls his years of service at the League, stating, “I have felt deeply honored to lead the Urban League of Greater Southwestern Ohio as its President and CEO. I have been fortunate to have an exceptionally talented and dedicated team of executives, employees, volunteers, trustees, and donors who prioritized serving the underserved. The League has seen its impact on the community, helping thousands with COVID relief, vigorously fighting for social justice and racial equity, helping people find new careers and helping community members start and grow businesses.
“The people behind the League are unsung heroes who I am privileged to have worked with these past two years. Those behind the League have consistently made the impossible, possible; not because they had to, but because they knew that to someone else, success seemed impossible, but with a little opportunity, they could shine.
The League will continue to change the lives of those in need and uplift our Black and underserved communities.
“Now, I depart to serve our people and underserved communities across the nation. Thank you for the opportunity to serve you for the past two years. I am grateful to the leadership of this staff, and to the leadership of our board of trustees led by J. Phillip Holloman and the exec team.”
Board Chair J. Phillip Holloman noted, “We are proud of the transformative work that Eddie has done as CEO. In two years, he’s doubled the number of employees, doubled the number of people served, secured the highest contract and programmatic gift in history, and grew the budget from 4.9 million to 13 million. We are sad to see Eddie go, but we are happy to see his impact spread in other communities.”
