Meet our team

Staff

Kari Whitacre Executive Director

We're pleased to announce that Kari Whitacre is joining Jubilee Women’s Center as our new Executive Director.

Kari, who recently relocated to Seattle from Corvallis, OR, brings with her over 15 years of experience in nonprofit administration, fundraising, and marketing. For the past 9 years, she has served as the Executive Director of a non-profit social service agency dedicated to addressing the root cause of homelessness and poverty. In addition to her work in the nonprofit sector, Kari has served on several boards and committees focused on breaking down system barriers for marginalized populations.

Kari holds a BS in Communications from Southern Oregon State University, is a 2008 graduate of the Ford Foundation Leadership Program, and a 2010 graduate of Leadership Corvallis. She is also the proud mother to three daughters.

Impassioned by the life changing impact of transformational programs, Kari believes deeply in Jubilee’s mission of “rebuilding lives, one extraordinary woman at a time.”

Irina Bobrik
Data and Grants Specialist

Jeffrey Burns
Occupancy Administrator

Tracy Clarke
Next Step Program Coordinator

Heather Crandall
Community Outreach & Volunteer Coordinator

Marie Girard
Case Manager

Matt Lewison
Program Administrator

Elizabeth Mather
Program and Finance Specialist

Francoise Maxie
Finance Manager

Dean Sanger
Facilities Manager

Jen Zug
Marketing & Communications Manager

Board of Directors

Jubilee’s Board of Directors is made up of highly dedicated volunteers who act as the governing body of the organization. The board’s principal responsibilities include long-term planning, fundraising, financial oversight, executive supervision, and advocacy.

For information about joining the Jubilee Board of Directors please contact us.

Associate Board

Jubilee’s Associate Board is made up of young professionals dedicated to fundraising, expanding networks, and stewarding the mission of Jubilee through creative outreach and connections. For information about joining the Jubilee Associate Board, please contact us.

See our history

How we got here

Seattle in the early 1980s was in the midst of a housing crisis. Federal cuts to subsidized housing, the deinstitutionalization of mental health, and downtown revitalization overwhelmed the city with “displaced” people.

At the time, three Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace were working in a local shelter. After watching women move in and out repeatedly, they devised a different program to break the cycle of homelessness.

Jubilee Women’s Center opened in a former Capitol Hill convent in the fall of 1983, named for the Sisters’ 100th “Jubilee” anniversary, also in 1983. Believed to be Seattle’s first transitional home for women, Jubilee offered residents a supportive housing community in which to heal from crisis and domestic abuse and get back on their feet. With an 18-month program—much longer than the typical three-month emergency shelter stay—women had more time to stabilize and work toward independence.

During the next three decades, Jubilee continued to adjust its programs and services in response to the changing needs of clients and community. Jubilee became an independent 501(c)(3), ramped up private fundraising efforts, and added Seattle’s first learning and technology center dedicated to homeless women. Jubilee also renovated facilities, moved to a holistic model of care, and acquired two additional residences, including a former ministry of the Sisters of Providence, which was gifted to Jubilee in 2014. A fourth residence will open in 2019, dedicated to program graduates.

Today, Jubilee’s program serves approximately 60 women each year with affordable community housing, holistic support services, on-site care managers, and a focus on employment preparation to advance each woman on her path out of poverty with a living-wage job and a home of her own. Jubilee serves an additional 2,000 low-income women with free referrals, job and life skills classes, clothing boutique, and computer lab.

Watch a video about the history of Jubilee.

Career Opportunities

Employment at Jubilee is a great opportunity to support women on their journey toward empowerment and self-sufficiency.

Jubilee Women’s Center believes in a holistic approach to supporting women, addressing the complex reasons they experience poverty and homelessness. Our unique program offers women the time and space to heal from trauma and crisis as they build new skills and develop short and long term goals. We do this through offering support in education, employment readiness, financial security, and building life skills that ensure long term success.  Women whose journey brings them to Jubilee will emerge empowered and self-sufficient, with a safety net of support.

Open Positions:

Senior Case Manager  We’re seeking an experienced and compassionate social service professional to join us in supporting women experiencing poverty and homelessness to build stable and fulfilling futures, one extraordinary woman at a time. Successful candidates will have professional experience with housing case management, job readiness support, and occupancy administration.

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