John Huckstadt receives NHSA Essence of Leadership Award
WASHINGTON, D.C., August 8, 2007 – The National Human Services Assembly (NHSA) has tapped three individuals to receive its 2007 Essence of Leadership Awards at a reception honoring them in Washington, DC on September 19. The Award Selection Committee chose Kathy Cloninger, CEO of Girls Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) for Excellence in National Executive Leadership; former Secretary of Transportation, Rodney Slater, for Excellence in National Board Leadership for his tenure as Chair of the United Way of America (UWA) Board of Trustees; and John F. Huckstadt, Chair and CEO of 501 (c) Services for Excellence in National Civic or Public Leadership.
Kathy Cloninger has been acknowledged in the Fortune 500 world as a transformational leader who has re-imagined a traditional camp-and-cookies operation to be the world's best leadership organization for girls. Cloninger became CEO in 2003 after two decades in scouting, and has been the catalyst for a radical makeover of the venerable girls serving organization. She used the expertise of 2.7 million girl members, 990,000 adult volunteers, national staff and board members in a collaborative effort to revitalize a membership based organization into a robust institution with a new mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place. Under her leadership, every element of the Girl Scout movement is changing—its mission, governance, strategic direction, organizational structure, and the often dicey relationship between headquarters and local councils. With Kathy at the helm, GSUSA is redeveloping their entire program as an outcomes-driven model at the same time they are undergoing a structural realignment of 312 councils of unequal size and resources, to 109 of them with increased resources and capacity.
Rodney Slater, Esq., as past chair of the UWA Board of Trustees, brought his collaborative style and partnership building experience to bear on several initiatives, including the United Way Hurricane Response and Recovery Fund in 2005. He involved foundations, individuals, corporations, government entities and local United Ways to leverage stronger and more innovative partnerships in the rebuilding effort of the Gulf Coast. More than $28 million was disseminated to the affected communities that proposed multi-faceted long-term recovery solutions. In May of this year, he was instrumental in helping launch the United Way's Financial Stability Partnership which focuses on increasing assets for families and individuals. His personal commitment connected organizations, agencies and companies that had not been at the same table before and subsequently led to new partnerships. In the process he has elevated the philanthropic sector as a vital partner in strengthening community both locally and globally.
John Huckstadt, John Huckstadt, Chair and CEO of 501 (c) Services, saw a problem when he was Executive Director of the United Cerebral Palsy Association in Northern California. He was concerned about the high cost of unemployment insurance, and could see that nonprofits subsidize for-profits' unemployment expenses. Ultimately, he discovered a Federal law that allows for the reimbursement method of funding unemployment costs for nonprofits because they experience less staff turnover than for profit organizations. This also meant that funds going to the state were not available to meet community needs. In 1982 John established the Joint Unemployment Compensation Trust with fourteen agency members. At the same time, he established 501 (c) Services to administer the operations of the Trust. The addition of two more trusts has resulted in 4,500 nonprofits being served through John's initial vision. By working closely with corporate leaders he has been able to educate and inform other nonprofits about the trust. The National Human Services Assembly recognizes 'the best' in the expansive field of health and human services through its annual Essence of Leadership Awards. A reception honoring this year's winners will cap off the National Human Service Leaders Summit being held at the National Housing Center, 1201 15th St NW, Washington, DC on September 19. A keynote address will launch this learning and networking opportunity, beginning at 1:00 p.m. The awards reception will begin at 6:00 p.m. For more information about registering for the event, please contact Judy Leaver at judy@nassembly.org, or 202-347-2080, ext 16.
About the National Human Services Assembly
The National Human Services Assembly is a coalition of leading national nonprofit agencies committed to helping individuals, families and communities thrive. These organizations and their constituent services networks collectively touch or are touched by nearly every household in America—as consumers of services, donors or volunteers. They comprise a $32 billion sector that employs some 800,000 workers, operating from over 150,000 locations.