Deputy Director prepared for new role
Published 6:31 pm Monday, February 6, 2017
- Sheri Cody (l) discusses new initiatives with Twin Cedars executive director, Mike Angstadt inside the Coleman Center. Cody has been named as Angstadt's successor and will begin her new role as executive director on Monday. (Photo By: Melanie Ruberti)
By Melanie Ruberti
melanie.ruberti@lagrangenews.com
LaGRANGE – The past week was a whirlwind for Sheri Cody, deputy director of Twin Cedars Youth and Family Services, as she shadowed her former boss through his daily routine and tasks which included a trip to the Georgia General Assembly.
Starting Monday, Cody will begin her new role as executive director of the organization. She is replacing Mike Angstadt whom retired after 22 years with Twin Cedars.
“I’m going to miss Mike’s friendship. The daily back and forth chats, checking in with each other and catching each other up on our families,” Cody said.
The two worked closely together starting in 2004, when Cody joined the Twin Cedars staff as the deputy director and director of program services. She also was in charge of the organization’s day to day operations.
Cody was named as the new executive director in November, 2016.
“I’m thrilled and honored to work with the Twin Cedars team,” she said. “I look forward to taking Twin Cedars to new places … When I think of us (Twin Cedars), I think of us as the ‘gold bar.’ I want us to be the ‘can do’ group that people can come to. I’m excited to be apart of that.”
Beginning in January, Cody met with stakeholders and learned more about new initiatives in Twin Cedar’s future.
“We really want to grow our foster care program,” she explained. “The desire is to have children receive closer to home … We have a lot of irons in the fire.”
Those future plans include building a new school for their Twin Cedar’s program in Macon.
But some practices will remain the same, said Cody. Traditions such as sending birthday and anniversary cards with a personal note attached every year to each Twin Cedars employee.
Cody said she is ready to take the helm of Twin Cedars – and owes a large part of her promotion to Angstadt.
“He did a great job to make sure I felt like I was in a good position to move forward – with my own ‘twist’ on things,” she stated. “That’s what Twin Cedars is about: empowering the staff from the inside so they can strengthen programs and families in our community.”
Melanie Ruberti is a reporter with LaGrange Daily News. She can be reached at 706-884-7311, ext. 2156.
