Dallas Area Habit for Humanity is posting a “help wanted” sign for a permanent CEO with Monday’s announcement that it has “parted ways” with William Eubanks III, who came on board as chief executive less than a year ago.
It’s just the latest in a series of leadership changes roiling the North Texas non-profit sector recently, with abrupt and surprising upheavals at the top of local charities including Texas Women’s Foundation (2022-2023), The Family Place (2021-2023), Literacy Achieves (2022-2023) and now Habitat. All four have interim executive directors in place while searches are underway for permanent replacements.
When asked to explain the sudden lack of stability among area non-profit CEOs, one veteran of the sector in North Texas said the national pipeline of qualified leadership candidates currently is “challenging.”
As for Habitat for Humanity in Dallas, Habitat Board Member Chris Packard will serve as interim CEO. Chris is no newcomer to the non-profit scene, having served as the past executive director of Komen Dallas County (2006-2010), the Dallas Marathon (2011-2012) and Austin Street Center (2014-2015). He has been a strategic consultant for non-profits for 17 years. He is also the husband of Cathy Packard, who was the Special Care and Career Services/LaunchAbility CEO and a former executive director of Family Gateway.
While some of the fits simply haven’t fit — for a variety of reasons — area board members are soldiering on to find competent leadership as the baby boomer generation retires, leaving a dearth of C-suite talent in its wake.
Meantime, while the disappointment of leadership turmoil makes headlines, the organizations’ missions of help continue on.