10/02/2026
Dear Friends,
As I step into the role of Interim Executive Director of Dress for Success Central Virginia, I do so with tremendous gratitude—and with a deep sense of responsibility for what comes next.
I wish my first letter to you could simply be an introduction and a celebration of this new chapter. But leadership requires honesty, especially when the road ahead is difficult.
Dress for Success Central Virginia is facing the most challenging financial season in our history.
The reality is that our current resources cannot sustain the organization as it has operated in the past. We are making difficult decisions, reducing expenses, right-sizing our operations, and reimagining how we deliver services so that Dress for Success Central Virginia can remain here for the women who need us. This work has already begun, and I am stepping into this role committed to seeing it through.
But we cannot right-size our way out of this challenge alone.
We need your help—and we need it now.
For years, this community has trusted Dress for Success Central Virginia to be there when a woman needs more than an outfit. You have helped us provide encouragement when her confidence was shaken, resources when she was searching for opportunity, and a community that reminded her that she was capable of building something more.
Now, we are asking that same community to show up for us.
If Dress for Success Central Virginia has ever mattered to you—if you have donated clothing, volunteered, attended an event, referred a woman, sponsored a program, made a financial gift, or simply believed in this mission—I am asking you to make an immediate financial contribution.
A gift of $25, $50, $100, $500 or whatever is meaningful for you will help us stabilize our operations while we build a more sustainable model for the future.
And if you are in a position to do more, this is the moment. We need corporate partners, major donors, foundations, and longtime supporters willing to invest in ensuring this organization makes it through this transition.
I am not stepping into this role because the work is easy. I am stepping forward because I believe Dress for Success Central Virginia is worth fighting for.
I also won't be doing it alone. Our Founder, Dr. Shantell Chambliss, is transitioning into the role of Founder & Chief Strategy Officer and will work alongside me during this period, helping ensure continuity while we thoughtfully build what comes next.
There is a future for Dress for Success Central Virginia. I believe that.
But getting there will require all of us.
Will you stand with us? Visit https://centralvirginia.dressforsuccess.org/get-involved/donate/?da to make an immediate donation.
Thank you for believing in the women we serve, for believing in this organization, and for giving me the opportunity to lead it into its next chapter.
P.S. If you've been waiting for the right moment to support Dress for Success Central Virginia, this is that moment. Your gift today will help give us the breathing room we need to stabilize, restructure, and continue serving women across Central Virginia.Dress for Success Central Virginia.
