After 32 years of leadership and dedication, Kin On CEO, Sam Wan retired on December 31, 2017. During his tenure, Wan has led the organization from a small rented facility in First Hill to a multi-million organization with offices in the Chinatown-International District, Columbia City, and Bellevue.
Deb Murphy, CEO of LeadingAge Washington shared the following with friends of Kin On on Dec. 29 at Wan’s farewell party:
Throughout my 15 years as CEO of what was then WAHSA and now LeadingAge Washington, I continued to see this same quiet servant leadership. Sam always took the time, when called, to lead, guide and support the association. He served on our Board of Directors beginning in 1998 through 2008, served on the Health Care Committee since 1998 and until today, and served on our Governance Committee from 2012 through 2016. He has a long history of devoted service to both Kin On and to the not for profit senior care community throughout the state of Washington.
During my tenure with LeadingAge, he approached the many challenges that came before us with the same selfless, caring and committed attitude that I first saw in the late 80s. And always with a smile no matter how tough the situation, Sam led in his humble and unflappable way.
But his service to seniors did not end at our state’s borders. On behalf of AAHSA (now known as LeadingAge), our national advocacy partner, Sam served on the Nominating and Awards Committee, the House of Delegates, he was a leader in residence for the Leadership Academy in 2016, he served on the Membership Committee in 2002-2003 and he was part of the Listening Post Project; a joint effort with Johns Hopkins University on the nature of non-profits in 2009. Katie Sloan, CEO of LeadingAge says, “Sam deserves a great send off and some big adventures in his next chapter.”
On behalf of your LeadingAge Washington family and your many friends across the United States, we wish you blessings as you continue to re-inspire.
