Development Resources Seeks CEO for HealthWorks of Northern Virginia
January 31, 2022 – Arlington, VA-based executive search firm Development Resources inc. (DRi) has been enlisted to find a chief executive officer for HealthWorks for Northern Virgina, a non-profit community health center. Nancy K. Racette, co-founder and chief operating officer, is leading the assignment for the search firm. HealthWorks seeks an engaging CEO possessing unquestioned integrity to lead the overall operations of the non-profit, including all administrative, clinical, financial and developmental aspects of the health centers operations, said Ms. Racette.
The CEO is responsible for the overall impact of HealthWorks on the community. He or she will be expected to work closely with the board of directors to craft and adapt strategies to achieve this increased impact, including raising the funds to support it. The individual must also establish and build relationships with top leaders in the community, including those representing the highest levels in business, government, and non-profit sectors. Resource development is a vital aspect of the role. The CEO is responsible for driving key results in fundraising, identifying, cultivating, and soliciting prospective donors and prospective new corporate partners. The leader will be charged with identifying and preparing grant applications, leveraging contacts and relationships into fundraising opportunities, and promoting a culture of fundraising in the organization.
Key Qualifications
The successful candidate will provide leadership for the organization and have experience working with community leaders, said Ms. Racette. A deep understanding of and commitment to HealthWorks’ mission is required.
Candidates should have a minimum of five years of experience in senior leadership capacities with non-profit and/or for-profit organizations or other institutions, including interacting with volunteers and diverse boards. Two years of experience in a non-profit community healthcare entity is preferred. A graduate degree, or its equivalent, from an accredited college or university with courses in macro social work public administration, public health administration, and/or business administration is also required.
Prospects must have significant experience serving as a public representative of an organization to a wide range of stakeholders, including donors, community groups and organizations, and news media, said the search firm.
HealthWorks for Northern Virginia, founded in 2007, provides high quality, accessible primary medical, dental, and behavioral health care to more than 17,000 patients of all ages, regardless of income or insurance status. The organization is the only healthcare safety net in Loudoun County for low income, uninsured children and adults aged 65 and older. HealthWorks for Northern Virginia health centers are Federal Torts Claims Act (FTCA) deemed facilities. HealthWorks is a 501(c)(3) non-profit community-based federally qualified health center (FQHC). The organization has locations in Leesburg, Herndon and Reston, VA.
Helping Non-Profits
DRi is an executive search and strategic consulting firm focused exclusively on serving non-profits. For over 15 years, the firm has led more than 350 searches for some of the most innovative non-profit institutions operating at the local, national, and international levels. DRi has placed hundreds of executive leaders and worked side-by-side with them to adopt strategic plans, design fundraising programs and build staffs.
With offices in Washington, D.C., Boston, New York, Denver, Omaha, Austin, and Seattle, the firm is led by co-founder, president and CEO Jennifer Dunlap and Ms. Racette, each of whom spent more than 25 years as leaders with non-profit organizations such as CARE, the American Red Cross, United Way, Easter Seals Society, and Girl Scouts of the USA.
Since founding DRi in 2001, they have built a senior team of experienced non-profit leaders supported by specialists in research, communications, and candidate relations and have had great success with placing candidates both domestically and internationally.
Related: DRi Tapped by The Jed Foundation to Find Chief Medical Officer
Ms. Dunlap’s personal experience as a senior non-profit leader with a proven track record has made her a highly valued adviser and partner to DRi’s clients. Over the last 15 years, she has led executive searches for CEOs who have reinvented non-profit business models at blue-chip organizations such as AARP, Heifer International, League of Women Voters, NPR, and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts.
Ms. Dunlap has developed strategic plans and built high-impact fundraising initiatives that have driven major service expansions at start-ups and established organizations. Her strategic consulting has helped social service providers such as Martha’s Table, major academic organizations such as Incorporated Research Institutions for Seismology, arts, and cultural landmarks such as the Phillips Collection, and numerous other clients.
Ms. Racette spent decades designing innovative fundraising and communications programs to fuel the growth of sustainable non-profit organizations. In 2001, she began providing executive search and development consulting to help non-profits across the country build their own capacity to grow, thrive, and excel. Her development consulting has helped numerous non-profit organizations design and fill powerful staff structures. Working with national organizations such as AAUW, the Armed Services YMCA, and Help Hospitalized Veterans, Ms. Racette has advised boards of directors and CEOs on how to identify their most transformative initiatives and invest in staffing structures that advance them. She has led executive searches for more than 150 leaders who have reshaped critical non-profit operations.
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Contributed by Scott A. Scanlon, Editor-in-Chief; Dale M. Zupsansky, Managing Editor; and Stephen Sawicki, Managing Editor – Hunt Scanlon Media
