I have had the opportunity to work with some of you before, but for those who I haven’t, please let me introduce myself. My name is Troi Taylor and, in addition to my role as founder and President of Taylor Construction Management, I serve as the Chair of the Board of Directors for the Coalition for the Homeless. To each of you, I want to say thank you for your partnership with the Coalition and for sharing our vision of a community where everyone has a safe place to call home.

I am writing today on behalf of the Coalition’s Board and staff to let you know that our President/CEO Mike Nichols is planning to retire at the end of 2023, and that a national search for his successor is currently underway.

Mike was asked to join the Coalition in 2019 when the organization was going through significant challenges. Although I’m sure many of you know from the time you’ve spent working with Mike, I’d like to highlight a few examples of how exceptional Mike’s leadership has been.

One of the first things Mike did after joining the Coalition was to lead an organizational restructuring. This required making some tough decisions, but resulted in an organization that is more efficient and effective. This work set the foundation for the Coalition’s growth during COVID, from a team of about 30 to nearly 80 today.

Mike also restored confidence in the Coalition, repairing relationships with partners and funders. Without these repaired relationships, our community would have likely been unable to implement the Community COVID Housing Program, which has secured more than $160M in public and private resources to address homelessness.

During Mike’s tenure at the Coalition, the partners of The Way Home have housed more than 11,000 people, reestablishing our community as a leader on addressing homelessness. Mike has shared that he judges himself not on factors beyond his control (a lack of affordable housing, poverty), but by the number of people we house. I’d say this number is something he should be proud of.

What you are likely most interested in with this news is, what does this mean for me?

While there is no hard timeline, the goal is that the new President/CEO is in place prior to the end of 2023. The Board has engaged the firm Russell Reynolds to conduct an exhaustive, national search, and it is likely that they may engage with some of you to get your input. Since this is a confidential search, there will likely not be many updates along the way, but given the Coalition’s position in the community, we will provide what updates we can, at the Board’s discretion.

Things may appear to be quiet for long periods of time after this note – and that is a good thing! I want to ensure you that, throughout this search and when the Board names a successor, you will continue to see the same level of performance and partnership from the Coalition that you have come to expect and rely upon under Mike’s leadership.

Below, please find a letter from Mike in which he has expressed in his own words what his time at the Coalition and his work with each of you has meant to him.

Again, thank you for your partnership with the Coalition and your dedication to making homelessness rare, brief, and non-recurring.

Sincerely,

Troi Taylor

Dear friends,

In January 2019, when I received the call asking me to join the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County as Interim President/CEO to guide the organization through a period of transition, I leapt at the opportunity.

At the time, my youngest daughter Anna was a housing navigator in Seattle, who called me each night, distraught, to ask me, “what kind of world did we live in where elderly women had to live unsheltered on the street?”

I leapt at the opportunity to take this job to try and make a difference in Houston!

I also had previous experience as the Interim CEO of the Houston Parks Board, where I witnessed firsthand the progress we can make for our community when we can facilitate strong public/private partnerships.

I knew that the Coalition played an important role as the leader of the local homeless response system, but over the last four years I have had the privilege to learn just how incredible an impact this organization has made for the Houston region’s efforts to solve homelessness. My work at the Coalition has met my highest expectations, taught me a great deal about the world in which we live, and shown me that it is possible to solve significant social issues. I truly believe that our community has demonstrated that:

• homelessness is solvable,
• government programs and funding can be effective with the support and partnership of nonprofits like the Coalition,
• collaboration across multiple sectors can build the infrastructure to solve social issues, and
• that placing people experiencing the trauma of literal homelessness into permanent housing with supportive services is the best way to address homelessness and build a more resilient community.
  

The Board removed the “interim” designation from my title at the end of 2019 so I could finish the work to restructure the organization, strengthen our governance, improve our internal processes, and build financial stability; however, the Coalition’s Board and I have always been working on and looking to a succession plan for my role. And we both feel that the Coalition is in the right place to enact this plan, and I’m pleased to share that the national search to identify my successor is underway.

Russell Reynolds & Associates is the firm that will be leading the nationwide, exhaustive search, under the leadership of the Coalition’s Board Chair Troi Taylor and members of the Board’s CEO Search Committee, chaired by Lance Gilliam. Both the search firm and Board will be engaging with Coalition staff, key stakeholders, and community partners to ensure that the next President/CEO for the Coalition has the skills and experience to build on our successes and lead the organization and community through the upcoming change in mayoral administration, changes in funding streams, and the future work of our homeless response system.

Out of all the good parts of being President/CEO at the Coalition, working with the staff has been the best. Their dedication and commitment is a daily source of inspiration. And this work is so exciting and so important to me that, if I could stay with the Coalition forever, I would love nothing more. But I am excited to spend more time with my wife, children, and grandchildren in retirement.

I am so confident in the Coalition’s staff leadership and our Board of Directors in making this a successful transition. And I have no doubt that our next President & CEO will continue to drive our innovation, strength, and success.

Thank you now and always for your support and partnership!

Mike