February 9, 1952 – December 21, 2007
Debra Kent died peacefully at home in Durham, North Carolina on December 21, 2007, surrounded by family and friends. She was 55 and had battled ovarian cancer for almost two years. Debra is survived by her daughter Sofia and Sofia�s other mother Jamie Lamkin; her mother Mildred, sister Nancy, and brother David and countless family and friends.
Debra made an art form of networking within the nonprofit sector. She was passionate about many causes, and never shied away from helping an organization in whose mission she believed. She was a pioneer fundraiser for HIV/AIDS causes in the earliest days of the epidemic, and inspired the founders of the Academy of Friends to make their annual party an AIDS fundraiser. She was a strong believer in giving back to the community, volunteering her time as a member of several boards of directors and advisory boards.
Although she found her career and relationships deeply satisfying, Debra also had a life-long dream to be a parent, which she was able to realize when she adopted Sofia from the Ukraine in 2002.
A public memorial will take place in San Francisco in the spring. Please check www.managingthemoments.blogspot.com/ for more details. In lieu of flowers please send a donation to Camp Kesem (www.campkesem.org) in North Carolina.