Anne Reeder Retiring as Wilkinson Executive Director

Anne Reeder, executive director of the Wilkinson Center, is set to retire at the end of this year. 

Reeder joined Wilkinson Center as interim executive director in 2011 and became the permanent director three months later. Since then, the organization has grown from 13 employees to 53 and expanded its donor base to include major donors, such as the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, Communities Foundation of Dallas, Texas Workforce Commission as a member of the Dallas Adult Education and Literacy Consortium, and more. She also launched the organization’s signature fundraiser; the Can Do! Luncheon.

“The Wilkinson Center board of directors is immensely grateful to Anne Reeder for her unwavering commitment and leadership over the past 12 years. Under her leadership, the (Wilkinson) Center experienced transformative growth and success both in terms of raising awareness of its mission and its ability to deliver services to clients,” remarked Atul Sethi, Wilkinson Center board president. “Anne leaves an incredible legacy and a strong foundation for future leadership to continue to build upon as we remain focused on providing help and hope to Dallas families.”

Wilkinson Center’s Food Pantry has also grown and serves 10,000 unduplicated individuals each year. In 2021, Reeder and her development team, with support from donors, launched the Pantry2Go mobile food delivery truck.

“With the support of our board of directors and generous donors, Wilkinson Center was able to develop and grow a CRM client database and our customized Work Ready Mobile app to communicate with our clients. Little did any of us know at the time how vital our innovative technology would be when the coronavirus shut down our community,” Reeder said. “Because of these fully operational systems, we were able to act quickly to change our service model, communicate with our clients and provide drive-through food delivery within a week of the shutdown. It is one of our proudest moments.”

Prior to joining Wilkinson Center, Reeder was a community volunteer, serving on the board of directors of local nonprofits, including Artreach, where she served as board president; the YWCA, where she served in multiple leadership roles; the Dallas Institute of Humanities and Culture; and the Park Cities Recycling Coalition, which she founded and served as president.

She was also an active member of the Junior League of Dallas for 20 years, where she was a four-time board member and served as ball chairman, and has been a member of Crystal Charity Ball for over 30 years, serving as fashion show chair, charity selection chair and datebook chair, along with helping to raise funds for CCB’s beneficiaries. Before joining Wilkinson Center, she was president and owner of Steakley Leasing, on the campus of Steakley Chevrolet, which was her family’s business.

The Wilkinson Center board of directors have formed a search committee and selected Victory Search Group to assist in the search for a new executive director.