Orcas Island Children’s House is excited to announce that Stephanie Moss will be leading our preschool forward as its new executive director! After much consideration, our previous director, Ady Walker, has decided to step down from the role. Ady suffered an extreme health emergency earlier this year, and continues in a long recovery period. Ady longs to return to Children’s House in some capacity when her health allows, but she has decided she needs to step down as the executive director.

Ady Walker brought a wealth of knowledge and education to the job and oversaw a turbulent three-year period at Children’s House. When she first started, Children’s House was experiencing several challenges that needed immediate attention. A year into her rebuilding efforts, she then had to face the difficult task of navigating an unprecedented pandemic and all the issues that came with it. Despite all of these challenges, Walker has led Children’s House to a much better financial footing, a happier and fuller staff, and a much better education experience for its students. Walker’s efforts to stabilize and grow the preschool over these past three years are deeply appreciated by the board of directors, the staff and the parents of Children’s House.

Stephanie Moss, who excellently served as interim director in Walker’s absence, has officially accepted the position of Executive Director. Moss has served as a teacher at Children’s House for three years. Her passion for caring for children and supporting families in our community is unwavering. In a previous life, Moss founded and directed a non-profit music and dance academy in Seattle, which still provides lessons for hundreds of families today. With her experience in both teaching and non-profits, Moss has ample skills to continue to build the program and lead OICH into the future!