President & CEO

As a national nonprofit, Center for Community Progress’ (Community Progress) mission is to foster strong, equitable communities where vacant, abandoned, and deteriorated properties are transformed into assets for neighborhoods. Community Progress is comprised of former practitioners and policy makers who understand that today’s neighborhoods have been shaped by decades of unjust and racist land use and financing policies. With that in mind, Community Progress is driven by the promise of safe, healthy, resilient, and inclusive neighborhoods that provide opportunity and dignity for all. Community Progress advocates for equitable policy change to help local, state, and federal leaders understand and reform the systems that perpetuate vacancy and deterioration. Community Progress educates policy leaders who want to strengthen their neighborhoods and delivers customized, expert guidance to help communities prevent and reduce widespread vacancy. By building relationships and networks that last, Community Progress inspires lasting policy, practice, and process change. This approach ensures leaders are set up for success to implement and sustain comprehensive reforms.Community Progress fulfills their mission via four interconnected service areas:Community Progress has offices in Flint, Michigan; Washington, DC.; and Atlanta, Georgia. While the President & CEO can be remote, there will be required travel to meet with staff, funders, and partners.Commitment to EquityAs leaders in the field, there is a responsibility to uncover and disrupt the systems that perpetuate inequity – in the communities served and within the organization. Systemic racism is a root cause of widespread vacant, abandoned, deteriorated properties and an immense barrier to achieving Community Progress’ mission. Therefore, the pursuit of racial equity is ingrained throughout programs, partnerships, and people. This is done by embedding racial equity into programming; dedicating time and resources towards an ongoing evaluation of our operations; and providing racial equity training and education opportunities to the staff and board.For more information on Community Progress, please visit here . The OpportunityThe next President & Chief Executive Officer (President & CEO) of Community Progress will be an enthusiastic and collaborative leader. As the nation’s leading organization in the vacant property space, Community Progress faces an exciting inflection point as they think about their future impact. The President & CEO will provide inspiring leadership and strategic direction to build on the organization’s track record and advance a vision for continued success.The President & CEO will be a proven leader with the skills needed to maintain excellence in the content and delivery of Community Progress’ existing services. The President & CEO will be an effective and flexible communicator, collaborator, and results-driven individual. The President & CEO will ensure that the organization carries forward its mission and continues to grow, adapt, and innovate to best meet the needs of the communities it serves.Internally, the President & CEO will ensure that the organization’s highly skilled, remote team is working effectively to support Community Progress and advance its mission. Inspired by a genuine passion for racial equity and fostering strong and equitable communities, the President & CEO will be a visible and inspiring leader at the national level as well.With a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion the President & CEO will embrace the importance of this commitment throughout the organization and externally. The President & CEO will be invested in building upon a culture that is inclusive and one where people can show up as their authentic selves.Reporting to the Board of Directors, the President & CEO will collaborate with the Community Progress team to continue to realize Community Progress’ ambitious vision and mission. This individual will be responsible for leading the development and execution of the overall strategy and ensuring that staff, operations, and systems are aligned in support of the mission. The President & CEO will be responsible for leading, developing and managing a team of 25 with the financial oversight of a yearly budget of $6.2 million, coming from over 30 public, private, and philanthropic sources.Candidate ProfileThe ideal candidate for this role will be a collaborative and communicative leader who understands how to move a wide range of constituents and lead through inspiration and motivation. While no one candidate will possess every quality outlined for this position, the successful candidate will bring many of the following professional qualifications and personal attributes. Passion for Mission and Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)During a time of leadership transition, the President & CEO will embrace leading the organization through change with empathy and a collaborative spirit. With a highly focused racial equity and inclusion lens, the President & CEO will be a champion of and exhibit an abiding passion and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion values. The President & CEO will have a demonstrated track record in advancing DEI initiatives both internally within the organization, as well as externally in the larger community. Ideally, the President & CEO will have lived and/or professional experience in understanding the disinvested communities Community Progress serves. Relevant work experience sought in community and economic development, vacant properties, land banks, land or property revitalization and/or real estate policy.Strategic Leadership and Organizational Management The President & CEO will be a strategic thinker with a high level of integrity and the ability to work with the board, staff, and external partners on a vision for the future trajectory of Community Progress. Experienced in collaborative strategic planning efforts, the President & CEO will be excited to explore opportunities for increased impact nationally and bring a demonstrated track record of thinking creatively to increase opportunities for sustainability. As the leader of Community Progress, the President & CEO will bring a balanced hand in cultivating organizational culture in support of the mission. The President & CEO will have a demonstrated ability to run a financially sound organization and a track record in financial oversight and a comprehensive record of overseeing various functions of an organization.Strong Relationship Builder and Partnership OrientationThe President & CEO will represent Community Progress as a leader in the areas of community and economic development and vacant properties and reinforce its strong, positive reputation in the field. This individual will be able to effectively articulate and convey Community Progress’ mission and priorities to a wide range of constituents including foundations, government agencies, national organizations, community partners, the Board of Directors and staff and have a demonstrated track-record of raising revenue from diversified sources. The President & CEO will be a convener and network builder always thinking about how to tell the story of Community Progress’ mission, work, and impact in disinvested communities.Persuasive and Effective CommunicatorWith excellent interpersonal skills, the President & CEO will build and maintain positive and productive relationships through transparent communication with internal and external audiences. An engaging speaker, the President & CEO will understand the importance of telling the compelling story of Community Progress’ mission to connect with potential partners to advance the organization’s work. Through persuasive coalition building, the President & CEO will be confident and comfortable crafting a captivating message of support to advance the impact of the communities that Community Progress serves.Inclusive People Leader and Culture BuilderThis individual will bring experience cultivating and leading high performing teams and guiding team members’ growth and development. Leading a team of highly skilled, dedicated staff, the President & CEO will possess the ability to inspire staff at various stages of their careers and provide a people-first work environment and professional growth opportunities that result in team cohesion and camaraderie. In addition, the President & CEO will be an experienced manager who engenders trust in the staff through a collaborative management style, helps them achieve their potential, and holds them accountable to clearly defined expectations and goals. With a keen eye on fostering culture, the President & CEO will be the connective tissue amongst a remote staff.In addition, strong candidates will offer:Strong commitment to Community Progress’s mission, vision, and valuesStrategic thinker with the ability to take a long-term, thoughtful approach to achieving organizational goalsAbility to attract, develop, retain, motivate, and lead the staff while maintaining a high level of performance and a leadership style that is both strong and empatheticDemonstrated experiences in setting priorities decisively, delegating responsibilities, assuring accountability, and allocating resources to ensure resultsUnderstanding and respect for populations with diverse cultural and economic backgroundsEnsure program outcomes are achieving mission, vision, and intent across all programsDedicated experience in creating networks and identifying potential partners around revenue generationHigh level of emotional intelligence (self-awareness, empathy, and collaboration)Deep appreciation for the importance of local, state, and federal policy and its importance to achieving Community Progress’ missionThe salary range for this role is $225,000 – $250,000 commensurate with experience. Additionally, Community Progress provides an excellent and comprehensive benefits package that includes medical, dental, vision, 401K match, access to flexible spending or health savings account and generous personal time off benefits.ContactKoya Partners, the executive search firm that specializes in mission-driven search, has been exclusively retained for this engagement. Alicia Salerno and Tatyana James of Koya Partners have been exclusively retained for this search. Please submit a compelling cover letter and resume here . Koya Partners is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals living with disabilities. If you are a qualified individual living with a disability and need assistance expressing interest online, please email NonprofitSearchOps@divsearch.com . If you are selected for an interview, you will receive additional information regarding how to request an accommodation for the interview process.The Center for Community Progress works with community partners to advance and strengthen the values of equity, justice, and inclusion and is committed to maintain a diverse and multicultural working environment. Community Progress is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, age, religion/creed, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, parenthood, pregnancy, veteran or active military status, salary, history, caregiver status, sexual orientation, gender identify, marital or partnership status, familial status, unemployment status, status as a victim of domestic violence, sexual violence, or any other status protected by law.About Koya PartnersKoya Partners, a part of Diversified Search Group, is a leading executive search and strategic advising firm dedicated to connecting exceptionally talented people with mission-driven clients. Our founding philosophy—The Right Person in the Right Place Can Change the World—guides our work as we partner with nonprofits & NGOs, institutions of higher education, responsible businesses, and social enterprises in local communities and around the world.
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