(Durham, May 16, 2022):  The Caring House Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Sasha Zarzour as its new Executive Director.

Sasha is a familiar face at Caring House, having held multiple staff positions over the last six years, serving for the last three as Director of Development.  Her appointment follows the retirement of long-time Executive Director, Sheridan van Wagenberg, in March.  

“Sasha brings a wealth of knowledge about Caring House and a deep commitment to our mission,” says Candace Minjares, Board President. “When we began our search, we knew finding the right person would not be easy, so it is a true pleasure to have Sasha stepping into this new role. She is familiar with the needs of our guests, knows our supporters and community partners, and is eager to bring new ideas forward as Caring House looks to the future.”

During Sasha’s tenure as Director of Development, Caring House has grown steadily in annual revenue and seen demand for its services continue to increase. She will lead a team of 10 employees and a corps of volunteers who currently serve up to 650 adult patients and caregivers each year. Sasha holds an MA in Non-profit Management and a BA in Marketing. She and her husband, Billy, live in Durham with their two children.

Sasha shares, “I am ecstatic to be continuing my career at Caring House. As a two-time cancer survivor, I empathize with what our guests are experiencing and am passionate about creating a supportive and healing environment for them during their treatment.”

With 18 private guest rooms and an array of common areas, Caring House provides patients at Duke Cancer Institute with peace of mind by providing affordable housing, a healing environment and a positive, supportive community during their course of treatment.  The organization operates on the belief that successful outcomes in cancer care are nurtured when patients are able to navigate their treatment regimens with hope and positivity. Since Caring House opened in 1992, it has served more than 16,000 guests and their caregivers from North Carolina and across the nation. The operations of Caring House are governed by an 18-member Board of Directors. Learn more at https://caringhouse.org/.

The board is grateful to all Caring House staff members for their skillful support during this transition in leadership and for their contributions to the leadership selection process.

Caring House was assisted in its search by moss+ross, a strategic consulting and executive search firm located in the Triangle.