Louisville, KY (July 8, 2016) – NeighborWorks America is proud to announce that Natalie Harris, Executive Director of the Coalition for the Homeless, is one of 50 leaders selected for the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, conducted at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
The NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, made possible in part by support from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation, is an 18-month program that equips executives with the skills to advance their organizations’ performance. Each participant identifies and clearly defines a specific challenge critical to their organization’s success then spends the program addressing that challenge.
“I am thrilled about this opportunity to really focus on the Coalition’s leadership role in the effort to end homelessness in Louisville,” says Harris. “I am so thankful to the Community Foundation and the Alden Fellowship for making this experience possible.”
The only comprehensive training of its kind, Achieving Excellence includes three formal sessions at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, as well as executive coaching, intensive peer learning and guidance from author and consultant Douglas K. Smith. The first session at Harvard University will take place in August 2016, with additional sessions planned for February and September 2017 plus a graduation and final session together with program alumni. Between academic sessions, participants will actively work on a clearly-defined goal critical to their organization’s success and will be working closely with their executive coach and peer group.
“The Achieving Excellence Program equips leaders with the tools to build stronger organizations-more engaged and results-oriented staff and board members working to achieve even greater impact in their communities. This not only affects the organizations and communities but also results in a stronger pipeline of energized leaders throughout the nonprofit sector,” said Christina Deady, senior director of leadership and workforce development at NeighborWorks America.
Achieving Excellence has graduated 325 executive directors, CEOs and other senior leaders since the program began in 2002, with astounding results from each class. Independent evaluations have shown tremendous results for organizations that have participated in this program. In an impact evaluation of a recent class of the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, 72 percent created positive change in their communities, 77 percent raised staff performance and morale, and 100 percent improved organizational strength and results.
For more information about the NeighborWorks Achieving Excellence Program, go to www.neighborworks.org/ae.
About the Coalition for the Homeless
The Coalition for the Homeless, located at 1300 S. 4th Street, Suite 250, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization with a mission to prevent and eliminate homelessness in Louisville. The Coalition has a three-pronged approach to this mission: advocacy, education, and coordination of their 31 member agencies who provide a variety of services to the homeless throughout the city. The Coalition won the 2014 Center for Nonprofit Excellence’s Art of Social Innovation Pyramid Award for its Bed One-Stop Program. For more information, visit www.louhomeless.org, call (502) 636-9550, or find the Coalition for the Homeless on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LouHomeless or on Twitter @louhomeless.
About NeighborWorks America
For more than 35 years, NeighborWorks America, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit, has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $27.2 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation’s leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.