Give Kids the World set to replace CEO Pamela Landwirth
Give Kids the World is replacing CEO Pamela Landwirth, the nonprofit organization has announced. She has been leader of the group since 1995.
“Words cannot fully express our gratitude to Pamela for her leadership over these past 30 years,” GKTW Chairman John Nichols said in a news release.
The organization’s mission centers on providing terminally ill children and their families with free vacations based out of Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee. It was founded by Henri Landwirth, who died in 2018 and was the former husband of Pamela Landwirth.
“Pamela has made an indelible impact on the Village as she carried Henri’s vision forward,” Nichols said.
The organization’s board of directors named Jordan Lomas, who joined the board last year, as interim CEO. He had a 17-year career with Darden Restaurants, where he was senior vice president of information technology. He will lead the executive search process.
“Our succession plan is designed to not only maintain the continuity of the Village’s operations, but to also identify an individual who will exceed expectations in service to our most important stakeholders — the children and families who rely on GKTW for a sense of hope and to experience the joy of a dream vacation together,” Nichols said.
The news release did not include comment from Pamela Landwirth. As president and CEO, she’s responsible for the operations of the Village. Her previous background was with resort operations management, human resource development and project planning with Walt Disney World and a stint as a consultant to Hard Rock Cafe.
Henri Landwirth and Pamela Landwirth were selected for the IAAPA Hall of Fame in 2017.
Give Kids the World Village, in operation since 1986, anticipates hosting its 200,000th family this month.