A week following Rob Curry’s announcement that he will step down in June 2019, Michael Griffin, Board President of CHN Housing Partners, announced today that CHN’s Board has chosen Kevin J. Nowak as CHN’s next Executive Director.
In a memo to stakeholders and staff, Griffin said:
In light of Rob Curry’s recent decision to transition out of his role as CHN’s Executive Director over the next nine months, both CHN’s Executive Committee and full Board of Directors met to discuss the transition and determine the best course of action. After careful deliberation, the Board unanimously decided to ask Kevin J. Nowak to become CHN’s next Executive Director.
Kevin has almost 15 years of community development and related professional experience. His national, cross-disciplinary experience in affordable housing and community development will serve CHN well. Kevin has proven himself a leader, strategic thinker, a relationship builder, and a person capable of planning and implementing complex endeavors. Most important, he is passionate about housing stability for all and breaking the cycle of poverty.
Kevin has been a part of CHN’s leadership and governance for over nine years—two years on staff and seven years as a member of the Board. He currently serves on staff as CHN’s Director of Strategic Initiatives and General Counsel. Kevin has been critical to setting CHN’s strategic direction through the development and implementation of its current strategic plan, which deepens our commitment to Cleveland, our hometown, and calls for a broader set of real estate development and housing stability services. He has worked to align our staff and services to maximize CHN’s impact on our clients and to expand throughout Northeast Ohio, and now Detroit, Pittsburgh and upstate New York. Prior to joining the staff, Kevin served on CHN’s Board of Directors, during which time he served on its Executive Committee and as its Treasurer.
Prior to joining CHN, Kevin was the National Equity Investment Manager of Key Community Development Corporation (KCDC), a wholly owned subsidiary of KeyBank. In his position, he was responsible for both the new acquisition of community development investments and the asset management of KCDC’s $1B investment portfolio. Kevin began his career as an associate in the commercial real estate practice of Thompson Hine LLP, a national law firm based in Cleveland. During his time at Thompson Hine, Kevin represented a wide variety of clients from small developers to national REITs to privately and publicly held corporations.
The mark of all strong organizations is the ability to gracefully transfer leadership in a way that supports even greater success. As we implement our succession plan, CHN is strong in every way thanks to the steady and sound leadership by Rob and the senior team over the years. With a new strategic plan, CHN will thrive as it continues to fulfill its mission of leveraging the power of affordable, stable housing to change lives and improve communities. I speak for all of CHN’s Board members when I say that we are excited to welcome a new chapter at CHN under Kevin’s leadership. Rob, Kevin and I will work together over the coming months to finalize the transition process.
Please join me in congratulating Kevin as he will soon start the journey and labor of love to amplify CHN’s work and impact for the entire community we serve.”
