Final Exit Network (FEN) proudly announces the appointment of Michelle Witte as its new Executive Director, succeeding Mary Ewert, whose tenure brought transformative growth and compassion to the organization’s end-of-life mission.
Witte steps into the role with a deep personal connection to the cause. In 2022, she cared for her mother Diane through the painful final stages of Parkinson’s disease—an experience that profoundly shaped her understanding of the need for compassionate end of life options. “My mom asked me day after day, ‘When will this end?’” said Witte. “Her suffering ignited in me a passion to help ensure that no one else must endure what we did.”
That passion led her to advocacy at the Minnesota State Legislature and ultimately to discovering Final Exit Network. Now, as Executive Director, Witte brings both lived experience and a distinguished career in nonprofit leadership, aging and healthcare, civic engagement, and resource development.
“Michelle is the right leader at the right time,” said FEN Board President Brian Ruder. “She brings a powerful blend of strategic vision, heart, and drive to advance our mission while staying grounded in the experiences of those we serve.”
Witte most recently served as Executive Director of the League of Women Voters of Minnesota, where she supported 33 local chapters and over 2,500 volunteers in the effort to strengthen democracy. Her background also includes founding health advocacy initiatives, serving as Board President of the Missouri Long Term Care Ombudsman Program, and working on state-level aging resource development in Minnesota.
“As someone who has worked to expand choice and autonomy across many aspects of life, I’m honored to now lead an organization that defends the most personal choice of all,” Witte said. “I look forward to working with the dedicated team of staff, volunteers, and supporters to build on Mary Ewert’s legacy and grow FEN’s impact in the years to come.”
Final Exit Network remains committed to its mission of educating and supporting those who want choice in dying. Under Witte’s leadership, the organization is poised to expand its outreach and services to meet the growing need for dignity and choice at the end of life.
For more information about Final Exit Network and its mission, visit www.finalexitnetwork.org.
Addendum from FEN Board President, Brian Ruder
With Mary Ewert’s decision to retire from her position as executive director, we knew we had a big task ahead of us: finding a new ED who matched Mary’s dedication and who would bring the experience to lead us into new growth and impact.
We searched internally within FEN, through social media, and ultimately with a professional recruiter, Peter Gray Executive Search.
Because of our very specific and sometimes controversial mission, we weren’t sure what to expect and neither was Peter. I’ll let Peter tell the rest of the story:
“I wholeheartedly support FEN’s mission. But doing public outreach and starting conversations about choice in dying (as I did in posting and publicizing FEN’s Executive Director position) was new for me. Knowing that FEN has faced hostility on occasion, I braced myself for negative or sideways reactions from friends, family members, and strangers.
But that didn’t happen. Instead, I was overwhelmed by an absolute tidal wave of positivity. In fact, FEN’s executive director search received the most applications (over 500, many of them from incredibly qualified people who shared deeply moving personal stories) of any search in my entire career as a recruiter.
So I’m heartened to feel like we’ve reached a tipping point, and our society is increasingly open to empowering people to choose death with dignity, on their own terms and timeline. I’m grateful to FEN for its courageous leadership on that front, and proud to play a small role in FEN’s leadership transition.”
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Final Exit Network (FEN) is a network of dedicated professionals and caring, trained volunteers who support mentally competent adults as they navigate their end-of-life journey. Established in 2004, FEN seeks to educate qualified individuals in practical, peaceful ways to end their lives, offer a compassionate bedside presence and defend a person’s right to choose. For more information, go to www.finalexitnetwork.org.
Payments and donations are tax deductible to the full extent allowed by law. Final Exit Network is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.
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Welcome, Michelle! Your experience working with volunteers, I’m confident, will be a great asset.