National City, CA – Tuesday’s gray skies couldn’t dampen the optimistic energy inside St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church, where ECS’ Board of Directors gathered for their annual retreat alongside committee members, ECS leadership, and staff.
The 2025-2026 ECS Board of Directors and ECS staff and leadership. October 2025.
The retreat provided time to strengthen connections, celebrate the past year’s successes, and chart the course ahead.
The retreat began with reflection on ECS’ core values — belonging, respect, exploration, empowerment, and stewardship — as attendees shared which values resonated with them the most and why.
New board member Chris Connolly attended his first retreat and met many of his fellow directors and ECS leadership in-person. He expressed his excitement to build relationships and learn more about ECS. He joined the board with hopes of making a difference in the community. “Bishop Susan, in her opening prayer today, talked about transforming communities, and Elizabeth talked about how the new El Cajon facility is going to help transform that community,” Connolly said. “I'm really excited about this notion of transforming communities, which would give me a lot of purpose, if I could come to ECS board meetings to do that. Both this year, and years ahead, that'd be really exciting.”
Presentations from CEO Elizabeth Wilberg, Board President La Monica Everett-Haynes, Board Chair Bishop Susan B. Snook, and CFO Darren Tune offered an overview of the 2024-2025 fiscal year and reviewed organizational goals for 2025-2026. Later in the afternoon, attendees separated into groups and constructed ideas for continued growth and impact.
Attendees discuss strategies for the new fiscal year. October 2025.
Board President La Monica Everett-Haynes welcomes attendees to the retreat. October 2025.
Idara Ogunsaju, a member of the newly formed People & Culture Committee, shared how inspired she felt to meet other individuals driven to support ECS’ work. “It's very easy to get behind the work that's being done, from Head Start children to helping with the issues of homelessness in San Diego,” Ogunsaju said. “You see the work that's happening, you see how they care, and how they're delivering on the mission, vision, and values of the organization.”
Ogunsaju cited Elizabeth Wilberg’s leadership and ECS’ value of exploration as the things that inspired her to support the organization. “That exploration, the willingness, the openness to change, is very powerful and positions ECS well for today and for the future,” she said.
Head Start staff takes attendees on a tour of the school site. October 2025.
St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church is also the site for one of ECS’ Head Start centers. Attendees toured the facility, visited active classrooms, and learned about the wide variety of wraparound services Head Start offers, including Home Visits. ECS Head Start not only supports academic growth, but the whole family unit, prioritizing the health and development of their students.
The annual board retreat reflects ECS’ culture of stewardship and care. Through the dedicated work of its directors, committee members, and leadership, ECS continues to grow stronger each year, laying the foundation for the next century of service. Thank you to our board of directors and committee members for offering your time and talents to ECS.
To learn more about the leadership that guides ECS visit https://www.ecscalifornia.org/leadership.