THE ORGANIZATION
Bridges to Independence (Bridges or B2I) seeks to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty. Founded in 1985 as the Arlington-Alexandria Coalition for the Homeless, Bridges is a registered 501c3 nonprofit based in Arlington County, Virginia. In December 2020, Bridges merged with the Bonder and Amanda Johnson Community Development Corporation to expand its mission and further achieve its vision throughout the community. Currently, Bridges serves approximately 100 families annually across Arlington County, equating to 300 individuals, and two-thirds of whom are under the age of 18.
Bridge’s short-term goal is to provide unhoused families with emergency shelter through the Sullivan House shelter that is located in North Arlington. Long-term, Bridges aims to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty by providing a variety of programs and services. While we have a strong commitment to housing and youth development, we are expanding our focus to include a childcare initiative and to have a more significant impact in the neighborhoods that need our services the most.
POSITION PROFILE
In its fourth decade of service, Bridges is a leading provider of housing and support services for at-risk families in Arlington, Virginia, working in partnership with regional agencies, community organizations and other social safety net providers serving the area’s most vulnerable residents. Bridges maintains rapid re-housing, youth-activity, training and employment programs that put its clients on a path to achieve long-term self-sufficiency.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) reports to the Board of Directors and is responsible for executing the strategic direction through leadership, and day-to-day operations of the organization. The CEO works with the Board of Directors to execute a strategic vision and manage relationships with key stakeholders. The Chief Executive Officer is the public face of Bridges who drives the mission, oversees the operation and is an inspirational leader with a passion for serving families in need. With an empathetic and energetic leadership presence, the CEO is a gifted communicator and disciplined manager, is comfortable interacting with people from diverse backgrounds, understands the vital link between service and leadership, and seeks to promote Bridges through positive interaction with local and state leaders and deep involvement in the community.
As Bridges’ senior executive, the CEO leads a team of professionals who operate multiple programs and an emergency housing shelter. In addition to fundraising, compliance and program oversight, the CEO works in the community to build and maintain support for Bridges among policymakers, grant-makers, and government agency leaders; strives to maintain and enhance donor relationships; and develops new relationships and opportunities in support of Bridges’ long-term stability and effectiveness.
Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
Nonprofit HR is committed to fostering and maintaining a work environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) are fully integrated into everything we do for the benefit of our employees and the clients that we serve. To fully realize our goal, we prioritize our understanding of the complexities of DEI within our workforce to inform our approach to talent management. We believe that this guides how we do our work, advise our clients to operationalize DEI and position our content and educational opportunities to help strengthen the talent management capacity of the social impact sector. See the full statement.