Dear friends and colleagues,

Many of you may have already heard about the passing of CNPE's founding executive director, Kevin Connelly on Dec. 16, 2022.

Kevin guided the Center for Nonprofit Excellence for its first 15 years, helping define all the Center could and would be. He helped grow the organization to five employees and more than 400 members. He was helping to create "a bigger we" even before we were using that phrase.

When he announced his retirement plans in 2015, he said that he felt more passionate about nonprofits when he left CNPE than he did when he began. All of us who work in the nonprofit sector know that it's often hard to remain passionate about your work - much less to become more passionate. That, as much as anything, was a testament to Kevin's positive spirit and the joy he took in helping other people and other organizations become stronger and more effective. 

After he retired, he continued to work with CNPE as part of our team of consultants - leading workshops and strategic planning sessions and speaking at events. 

We will miss his insight, his talent, his smile, his enthusiasm for the world of nonprofit work, and his friendship. Please join us in keeping his wife, Phyllis, and his son, Nik, in our hearts and prayers. We will keep you updated about future plans to celebrate his life. 

Sincerely,

Ann Coffey

CEO CNPE