photo by: Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center

Chrissy Heikkila

The Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center’s executive director, Chrissy Heikkila, is set to depart after 13 years of working for the center, the crisis center’s board of directors announced in a press release Monday evening.

Heikkila’s last day is Nov. 18, and the board of directors has already begun a search for her replacement. She’ll be moving on to Heartland Community Health Center, where she’ll serve as grants director.

“I am grateful to have been able to support this work at such a critical period of time in understanding and addressing sexual violence,” Heikkila said in the release. “It has been an honor of a lifetime to walk with survivors, and their experiences have humbled me, kept me going, and given more hope and recovery in this work than I could have imagined. Sexual violence is devastating but healing is possible, and the Care Center proves that every day.”

Heikkila started with the center as an outreach coordinator and bounced between some other roles before taking on the executive director job in 2013. During her near decade at the helm, the center has gone through a period of “record growth and development,” according to the release. The center is anticipating serving 1,000 clients this year and will be moving into a new, larger office space at 330 Maine St. by the beginning of the new year.

According to the release, the board is making it a priority to find the best individual to lead while still maintaining a stable and effective organization. The Sexual Trauma and Abuse Care Center provides 24/7 support to anyone affected by sexual trauma and abuse in Douglas, Franklin and Jefferson counties.