Meet Kelsey Vatsaas
Clare Housing welcomes Kelsey Vatsaas as one of three new Board Members in 2022!
Kelsey Vatsaas (she/her), former Board member, current member of the Finance Committee is Managing Principal of Nonprofit Industry at CLA (CliftonLarsonAllen), and longtime supporter. Kelsey is highly passionate about advancing Clare’s mission and was able to step in as our newest Board Treasurer.
Kelsey, this isn’t your first time on our Board of Directors. Can you tell us what interested you in serving on the Board of Directors (BOD) for Clare Housing? Has it changed since the last time you served?
I’ve been fortunate to be part of Clare Housing for over a decade in many different capacities. After my last Board Term ended, I stayed involved on the finance committee, as a table host, and a donor.
While those were valuable ways to be involved, with so many changes at Clare – particularly in staff leadership – I found myself curious what was happening at a strategic level.
The first time I met Phoebe [Clare Housing Executive Director] I made an offhand comment about being open to coming back on the board if it would ever be beneficial. And now, here I am!
What lasting lesson have you learned from working with Clare Housing?
Housing = Healthcare has been such a powerful lesson for me. The first time I learned about the drastic reduction in viral loads for those stably housed, and how can [help folks] stick to their medical regimen, my whole perspective changed.
What does “success” mean to you in terms of your work as a board member?
Being a true strategic partner to executive leadership – where we can all authentically work together towards our vision – while also staying in our appropriate lanes.
The balance of “governance vs. management” is always hard in a nonprofit – one of the reasons I love serving on the Clare board is Clare really has a history of striking that balance well; allowing staff the autonomy to execute and manage, while ensuring the board is setting strategy, assessing risk, and putting appropriate checks and balances in place.
What do you hope to accomplish in your current term with Clare Housing?
As has been our trend, Clare must continue growing to meet the needs in the community. But I’m excited to think about and ultimately make changes to how we meet those needs as it likely isn’t only in the model we have grown in the past.
We look forward to working with you, Kelsey! Thank you for your service on the Clare Housing Board of Directors!