Becoming Independent CEO Resigns

Cami Weaver, CEO of the major Sonoma and Napa county nonprofit , announced Thursday she would not renew her contract that expires Sept. 30.

Luana Vaetoe, human resources director f1,300 developmentally disabled people annually in Sonoma and Napa counties, is filling in as interim agency director until the Becoming Independent board selects a replacement for Weaver, she said.

Weaver, who has been with Becoming Independent for the past 20 years and was CEO for the past five years, is currently on medical leave but will return to the job before her end date, Vaetoe said.

"(Weaver) wants to create more time to spend with her family, and to look for other career opportunities," Vaetoe said Friday after word spread about Thursday's announcement.

Vaetoe said it was not immediately clear if the board would hire a new CEO or someone with a different title, such as executive director or agency director.

"We anticipate the board will go through a process of deciding how to proceed," Vaetoe said. "It is not really typical for nonprofits to have a CEO, but that issue will be explored in this transition."

Becoming Independent has five offices in Sonoma County and one in Napa County at 1832 Soscol Ave. #101.

The Sonoma County offices include one each in at 625 Center St. and Sonoma Valley at 355 W. Napa St. and three in Santa Rosa.

The main Santa Rosa campus is at 1425 Corporate Center Pkwy.

The agency has a $15 million annual budget, primarily financed through state and federal monies, Vaetoe said.

Carin Lawrence, Becoming Independent's chief of services, resigned in early May, Vaetoe said.