Thank you, Karen Dibblee

“After serving for almost 7 years on the BCLT Board of Directors, Karen Dibblee is stepping down from her role to take some time for herself and enjoy family and friends. Karen has volunteered countless hours supporting our mission and led the organization as board president for the last 4 years during a period of rapid growth.

Creating and sustaining affordable housing is West Marin is challenging and Karen’s leadership at the board level enabled us to successfully create permanent affordable housing at 430 Aspen, 425 Overlook, 140 Maple, 530 Overlook, 534 Overlook, 5 units at 3755 Shoreline, and two units at 345 Aspen during her tenure. We also purchased 20 acres at 130 Mesa and later created the Bolinda Vista temporary campground on that site housing nearly 60 community members while also signing a purchase and sale agreement to acquire the additional 60 acres of the Tacherra Ranch where we plan to permanently house these residents. 

While each project presented unique challenges and predictable opposition, Karen remained a calm voice and brought a balanced approach to managing the executive director position and the board of directors. The BCLT board is ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the organization and it’s a difficult role to navigate as you weigh the critical need for affordable housing versus the complexity of taking on more projects with a small but mighty staff. Karen was adept at identifying those risks while understanding the urgent nature of our mission.

Please thank Karen next time you see her. I can’t overstate how many hours she has spent volunteering to support the organization and our community. It has been a pleasure to work with her.”

Written by Jeff Clapp, BCLT Board of Directors President. Published in the May 13th edition of the Hearsay News.

Karen Dibblee by Lynn Bagley