“I'm honored and humbled to serve in this new capacity, and I'm excited about the opportunity. It's a tremendous gift to be able to connect my personal interests and passions with my work in the world, and the mission of the Fetzer Institute offers just that," Higgins said.
A member of the Institute’s program team since 2001, Higgins has served as program officer for evaluation and most recently as director of programs. As vice president of program, Higgins will help guide the development and implementation of the Institute’s program strategy and community development.
Before joining the Fetzer Institute, Higgins held a number of administrative leadership positions at Western Michigan University, in addition to earning two degrees from the school. Expertise she brings to this work includes leadership development, organizational well-being, and whole systems approaches to community engagement. She is interested in how organizations harvest, synthesize, and share learnings from their work.
“I am proud and excited to make this announcement,” said Bob Boisture, president and CEO of the Fetzer Institute. “This appointment recognizes the extraordinary leadership Deb has brought to deepening our spiritual grounding, strengthening our staff community, and guiding our program team. Her deep understanding of—and passionate commitment to—the Institute’s spiritual identity and our aspirations for our staff and program are essential qualities for this position. She is a true exemplar of our values of love, trust, authenticity, and inclusion.”
To learn more about the Fetzer Institute, visit Fetzer.org.