To our Facing Forward community:

This announcement shares news of an upcoming leadership transition at Facing Forward. After nearly 12 years at Facing Forward, the arc of Rev. Doug Bradshaw’s journey is coming to a close, as he has decided to depart the organization later this year to focus on family priorities. His last day as Executive Director will be November 2nd.

I want to assure our stakeholders, which include our clients, staff, board, funders, partners, and peer organizations, that we are prepared to lead through this change with thoughtful vision and a clear strategy for the next chapter in the Facing Forward story.

To that end, the Board of Directors has formed a search committee to conduct the search for our next Executive Director. We will share the position description once the search is live. I invite you to consider who in your network would be a promising candidate for this position and share this opportunity. In addition, to facilitate a smooth handoff to Facing Forward’s next leader, Doug has generously agreed to support the organization throughout the transition to ensure we continue to focus on delivering exceptional services and creating an exceptional place to work.

Facing Forward has seen incredible growth and evolution under Doug’s care, and his thoughtful leadership will have left a lasting mark on us all – first as a volunteer board member, and then as our Executive Director since 2014. I want to extend a sincere thanks to Doug for all of his contributions, as board chair on behalf of the board and on behalf of the boards who came before us.

During Doug’s tenure, Facing Forward has tripled the number of clients we serve through our flagship permanent supportive housing program, growing to over 600 individuals. Together, we have developed and refined a Two Generation approach to ensure all members of the families we serve get the specialized support they need to thrive. We have launched new innovative programs for families with young children and taken on a role as a problem-solver within Chicago’s homeless services system. Doug has built and strengthened relationships throughout our community – with friends, volunteers, donors, foundations, community groups, faith communities, small businesses, corporations, and public partners like you – which has continued to advance our mission of helping our neighbors end their experience of homelessness and get a fresh start. Thanks to our community’s support and partnership, these dreams and aspirations of growth have been possible, and we face forward to the future, well positioned to increase our impact on the community.

While I recognize this announcement constitutes a substantial change for the organization, I want to emphasize what is not changing as we move forward, and that is our unwavering focus on:

1.    Our clients, providing top-tier services and outcomes for the community
2.    Being an exceptional place to work in the industry, and an employer that cares for and supports its employees
3.    Executing on our strategic plan with the goal to END HOMELESSNESS in Chicago

We are so grateful for your support of Facing Forward, and we thank you in advance for your continued partnership as we embark on the next chapter of Facing Forward’s history and journey together.

Thank you as always for your dedication to our mission,

Christine Lopez, Board Chair
Facing Forward to End Homelessness