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October 2, 2006 Section: Towns Edition: 01 Page: 02B New leader raises energy at CHIPS Victoria Welch By Victoria Welch

Ray Coffey's plans included graduate school and a teaching degree but took a turn to Lincoln Hall. Instead of the high school science teacher gig he'd envisioned, the 27-year-old Essex native works with local youths in an out-of-class capacity -- as the new executive director of Essex CHIPS, Community Helping to Inspire People to Succeed. Coffey succeeded long-time CHIPS head Brad Luck in August, assuming the top spot in an organization for which he has worked for the past four years. In his office last week, Coffey turned down the music piping through his speakers (The Shins) and acknowledged that he'd climbed an unexpected organizational ladder. "The more I delved into the business, operational sides of things, the more interesting it became," Coffey said, referring to the Essex-based nonprofit organization. "It's certainly something that you go into expecting to climb the ladder, but there have been a number of desirable opportunities along the way." A 2001 Middlebury College graduate, Coffey returned to the Five Corners after graduation, working part-time with the Essex Teen Center, which was then sharing space with CHIPS in the second-floor of the village town office complex. The assistant director soon rose to lead the organization, which at that point was a "day to day" operation, with low staff and reduced hours. When CHIPS and the Teen Center merged in 2004, Coffey came on board as a community resource specialist. Between coaching the Essex High School cross-country ski team and deepening his long-standing ties with neighbors, friends and former teachers, Coffey watched the organization grow to service about 2,000 youths a year, on a $200,000 operating budget. In June, Luck told staff he was embarking on a business venture in Burlington. Marissa Adamo, a program coordinator for CHIPS, said she immediately began to urge Coffey to apply for the job. "I really went to bat for him, actually," Adamo said with a laugh. When CHIPS staff members sat in on the interview process, "he just was a head above them all. He knew his stuff, he knew working with youths and, particularly, working with high-risk youth. I was instantly on his side." Adamo said Coffey's leadership style creates an apples-and-oranges dynamic, compared with Luck, who gave his employees room to learn and grow on their own terms. "I really need to have direct contact with my executive director all the time, with the work I'm doing with the kids," she said. "It's wonderful to know that Ray is right there, all of the time. He is very available, his door is completely open. He's always checking in with me, which I really appreciate." Adamo said the transition has been made easier for the youths that use CHIPS programs and serve on organizational boards, because Coffey is a familiar face from a number of capacities. High school students recognize him from the ski team, and others remember him from the teen center. "They're psyched," she said of the youngsters. "The kids are really psyched that he is here and in charge." Coffey said he hopes to continue spreading the enthusiasm through the community. In the past largely financed through grants, CHIPS could encounter more fiscal stability through fund raising and donations, he said, while continuing to offer the special events, after-school hours and community forums that have become known throughout Essex and outlying communities. "We've grown so much in the last year, and we are really taking this change as a chance to see what our needs truly are," he said. "In the meantime, we're going with the flow." BOX: ON THE WEB www.chips.org

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