After nearly a decade of leading the Cape Fear Literacy Council, Linda Lytvinenko is leaving it, the nonprofit announced Wednesday.

“It is with heavy hearts, but also great pride, that Cape Fear Literacy Council’s Board of Directors announces that our Executive Director, Linda Lytvinenko will be leaving Cape Fear Literacy Council (CFLC) at the end of June for a very important undertaking in the Triangle area … grandkids!” the organization’s news release stated. 

Lytvinenko and her husband, John, will move to Raleigh to be closer to his children and grandchildren, she said in a telephone interview Wednesday. The Lytvinenkos lived in the Triangle prior to moving to Wilmington.
 
“Linda leaves us in a position of great strength after over nine years of dedicated service,” the group’s release stated. “She has paved the way for a new executive director to take this opportunity and Cape Fear Literacy Council to a new level.”
 
Lytvinenko announced her departure, which will take place sometime before the end of June, to the literacy council’s board on Monday.
 
“Leaving the work we’re doing here is extremely hard, but it’s time for us to move. We can’t resist any longer,” Lytvinenko said.
 
She started work as the CFLC’s executive director in January 2005.
 
Among recent major accomplishments achieved under Lytvinenko’s leadership, the release mentioned a remodeling of the organizations Red Brick Building to provide more classroom and tutoring space, a stable financial foundation and well-defined goals and the recent completion of one of the literacy council’s most successful galas.
 
The March 1 “Around the World in 80 Days” fundraiser exceeded its goal, Lytvinenko said. That was a feat, considering that the event was held for the first time at the Wilmington Convention Center after several years at a general aviation hangar at the airport.
 
“The whole economics of the event were different,” she said.
 
Thanks in part to Lytvinenko’s leadership, the organization is in good shape to look for a new executive, said CFLC board chairwoman Rachel Pace.
 
“Cape Fear Literacy Council will have an easy transition,” she said in a statement. “The staff members have outstanding expertise and experience and the board leadership is phenomenal. The new executive director will be able to walk into an organization where they can hit the ground running.”
 
Once she has settled in Raleigh, Lytvinenko will begin a job search there. She said she did not want to look for a new position before announcing her departure to CFLC’s board, staff and other stakeholders.
 
“Linda has assured us that she will work diligently with the board and the staff to keep us moving forward through the transition. The board is putting together an executive director search committee and will start the hiring process soon,” the release stated.
The group is collecting resumes and recommendations through the email [email protected].