Amy Lathen is stepping down at the end of the month as Colorado Springs Forward executive director.
Lathen assumed the post with the nonprofit, political policy group in May 2016, resigning her El Paso County Commission seat six months before her second and final four-year term ended. She also ran unsuccessfully for Springs mayor in 2015.
Lathen said she's leaving Colorado Springs Forward to become vice president of the Victor Marx All Things Possible Ministries, which helps abused children. The California-based, global ministry has a Springs office and Lathen will continue to live here.
Her resignation comes a month after the April 4 municipal election, when four of five Colorado Springs Forward-endorsed City Council candidates were dealt huge losses despite the organization's hefty financial backing.
However, Lathen said her decision to leave was made before the election and had nothing to do with its outcome. Marx - whom she's known for several years - approached her about joining his ministry, she said.
A devout Christian, Lathen, 49, said she's been assessing the direction of her life. She's faced health concerns the past few years involving herself, her husband, Bob, and her mother; she declined to go into detail, although she posted Facebook messages in 2014 that detailed her husband's heart attack at that time.
Lathen, said she and her family are fine. But, "when you have those challenges and you wonder 'am I going to be all right,' you begin to assess where your priorities are in your life. For me, that's my family, always has been. It's my faith, always has been."
The chance to work with Marx, "is extremely meaningful to me," Lathen said.
"It's not about a job, it's not about a career," she said. "It's about a purpose. I mean that sincerely. It really is about me serving my faith and doing that through a ministry that we have believed in for many years."
Colorado Springs Forward board chairman Phil Lane said in a news release the organization was "sorry to see Amy go" and lauded her knowledge of local government and passion for change.
"We understand that this opportunity fits with a powerful new direction in her life, and we wish her all the best," he said.
Colorado Springs Forward will begin a search for a new executive director; Lathen will consult with the group during a transition period and help find and train her replacement.
