Dan Magnuson, the president and chief executive officer of Lad Lake, announced he will retire from the Dousman-based nonprofit organization at the end of the year.
Magnuson has led the organization, which serves youth involved in the child welfare and juvenile justice systems, since 2014.
Lad Lake operates two residential care centers for at-risk youth and provides alternative education for students with special learning needs, independent living services for youth aging out of the foster care system, and community services such as in-home therapy, specialized mentoring, and supervised visitation for parents and children.
“Dan’s leadership has been exceptional and his achievements remarkable,” said Jim Hunzinger, chair of the board of directors. “Over the last 7 years he has steered Lad Lake through a period of remarkable change, stabilized the organization and increased our mission impact and has done so with a great deal of skill and success.”
During his tenure, Magnuson has overseen several new initiatives, including securing national accreditation of the organization by the Council on Accreditation, expanding Lad Lake’s continuum of care, and launching a nationally recognized quality improvement initiative, the organization said.
Magnuson has also overseen growth in the organization’s annual philanthropic support, which has quadrupled during his tenure, Lad Lake said.
The organization, which has its main 365-acre residential campus in Dousman along with two Milwaukee locations, serves more than 1,100 youth annually and has 250 staff members.
Before joining Lad Lake, Magnuson was president and CEO of Milwaukee-based Pathfinders, which also serves at-risk youth in southeastern Wisconsin.
The board has initiated a search committee to find the organization’s next leaders.
