Volunteers of America-Minnesota Appoints Paula Hart as New President and CEO

April 27, 2011 - PRLog -- The Volunteers of America-Minnesota (VOA-MN) Board of Directors is pleased to announce today that it has appointed Paula Hart as President and CEO of the organization. Hart will assume her duties effective June 1.

Since 2005, Hart has served as President and CEO of Dakota Communities (DCI), Eagan, Minn., a $19 million disabilities services organization. Previously, she was chief operating officer/vice president of business development at Courage Center, Golden Valley, Minn., a rehabilitation center for children and adults with disabilities. She received her B.A. in philosophy from Carleton College, and completed Stanford University's Executive Program for Nonprofit Leaders.

Over a span of three months, the VOA-MN Board of Directors’ search committee, along with KeyStone Search, a leading executive search firm emphasizing cultural fit, narrowed the pool of highly qualified candidates from more than 100 before ultimately selecting Hart.

"By all accounts, Paula is an exceptional leader who combines intellect, organizational acumen and a passion for those she serves with an innate ability to rapidly garner trust and respect from everyone she meets," said Sean McDonnell, Board Chair. "We are thrilled to welcome Paula as our next leader. Given her proven record of success in leading positive change within complex human services organizations, we believe great things are in store for Volunteers of America-Minnesota."

Hart has demonstrated transformational leadership abilities. With DCI, she oversaw a 35 percent increase in the number of individuals served, a 15 percent increase in organizational revenue (despite reimbursement rate cuts), and a 68 percent increase in net worth. With Courage Center, she facilitated a team that closed a nearly $4 million budget gap and led the launch of a new fitness center for people with disabilities that more than doubled initial projections for demand.  

“I am looking forward to the challenges and opportunities in my role as the new President and CEO of Volunteers of America-Minnesota," Hart said. "VOA has a long legacy of serving Minnesotans, making a difference, and changing lives. It will be an honor to lead the organization in continuing its rich tradition of innovating to meet emerging social needs.”

Hart succeeds Michael Weber, who served as President and CEO of VOA-MN for 14 years.

VOLUNTEERS OF AMERICA-MINNESOTA
Volunteers of America-Minnesota is a nonprofit organization founded in 1896 which offers a wide variety of services to more than 26,500 children, adolescents and their families, students, older adults, persons with disabilities and special needs, and individuals completing rehabilitation programs each year. It is one of the oldest, largest and most comprehensive human service organizations in the state and has more than 60 programs, 900 employees and 13,600 volunteers. Volunteers of America has a rich history of developing innovative, quality programs to meet emerging social issues and prides itself on sponsoring programs which are able to articulate explicitly the outcomes achieved in its program participants' lives. For more information about Volunteers of America-Minnesota, visit http://www.voamn.org, or call (952) 945-4000.