By Pat Jenkins The Dispatch Eatonville Family Agency is changing its leadership with the hiring of Leah Vanderstoep as its new executive director. Vanderstoep replaces Lori Culver, who has stepped down from the post she held since January 2013 in order to move out of state. Vanderstoep, a native of Washington's Okanogan region, worked previously as resident services coordinator at Mercy Housing in Bellingham and for the Archdiocesan Housing Authority in Mount Vernon. For the latter agency, she coordinated community programs for residents of low-income farmworker housing. Her programs at Catholic Housing Services received the 2010 Margaret E. Casey foundation award for programs nationally that best strengthened families. She also won the 2010 President's Award of Merit at Catholic Community Services for outstanding service. Vanderstoep has a degree in poiltical science from Western Washington University. She also studied in Mexico. Culver is credited by Family Agency officials for her leadership of the social services agency's food bank and programs aiding children and domestic violence victims. Also noted among her accomplishments was her rallying of citizens to write to government leaders when funding for food for the hungry was at risk of being cut. That effort evolved into Hunger Hurts: Be A Hunger Hero, a campaign to fight hunger in the Eatonville area. The agency also has served as a clearinghouse of information on the federal Affordable Care Act and was one of eight community organizations countywide that worked with the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department by providing one-on-one assistance families and individuals enrolling for health plans. "I truly hate to be leaving Eatonville. It has been such a pleasureGÇ¥ working with the community, Culver said. Before moving to Eatonville, Culver worked in public television in Oklahoma and Texas before. She was a senior grants officer for Oklahoma Educational Television Authority and an Emmy Award-winning producer.
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