LYNN — After 24 years of leading LEAP for Education, founder Linda Saris is retiring. Kayla Dorst will take over the helm as executive director starting in July and will bring a new vision for how the program can continue to empower and educate youth living in both Lynn and Salem.
“Our work at LEAP has shown us both what is possible for young people and how much more is needed to make opportunity real at the community level,” Dorst said.
Saris founded LEAP in 2002 as a start-up program, and over the span of two decades, she has built it into one of the leading nonprofits serving more than 550 youth every year across all grade levels, with accessible and enriching opportunities.
In Lynn, their Dream MORE program is free and gives middle school students in grades six through eight the chance to try enriching activities including robotics, cooking, and the arts, as well as be provided mentorship and a sense of community. They also have a Teen Center, located at 17 Columbia St., where young adults can hangout and receive academic, career, and college services, and both transportation and a meal is provided, free of cost. To help prepare them in the workforce, LEAP even has a summer work program, offered to ninth through 12th graders, as well as academic and financial aid advising to high school graduates and those with their GED, as well as current college and post-secondary students, as well as insight on campus life and career advancement.
This is exactly the kind of impact Saris had when she envisioned the program more than 20 years ago, and now, she’s confident Dorst will continue that impact.
“It has been the privilege of my life to found, lead, and grow LEAP over the past 24 years and to see the impact we have had on so many young people in our community,” Saris said. “Kayla is an exceptional, thoughtful leader who knows this organization and our community deeply. I have full confidence in her ability to guide LEAP into its next chapter and a strong, impactful future.”
As they prepare for the future, Saris and Dorst worked in tandem to shape how LEAP will continue to grow, including in expanding the pipeline for educators in the out-of-school field and in developing community-wide support for students who are navigating their postsecondary education and career paths.
Dorst served as LEAP’s deputy director since 2020 and has been with the program for 14 years. She even started as a math tutor while she was enrolled at Salem State University. Now, her sights are set on helping to ensure the next generation in both Lynn and Salem is just as prepared to chase their own dreams.
“What this next era requires is not a change in purpose, but a deeper commitment to partnership, alignment, and collective impact,” Dorst added. “I’m excited to build on Linda’s remarkable legacy and work alongside our youth, staff, schools, employers, and partners to make opportunities more connected, more equitable, and more accessible for young people across Salem and Lynn.”
