A look ahead

The Democracy Collaborative announced an upcoming change in leadership. Below is a statement from incoming CEO, Stephanie McHenry, on the transition and her time here with the organization.

I was deeply honored to be asked by The Democracy Collaborative’s board to serve as CEO, and look forward to teaming closely with my colleague, Joe Guinan, our new President, to lead this organization into a new era. I am excited about the future of TDC because we have strong, credible answers to the questions many are pondering: How can we operate the economy in a way that more people can equitably benefit from the wealth that is created? How can we effectively bring more voices and influence to bear by those who have been left out of decisions that impact the public good? I look forward to helping TDC answer those questions and enhancing the organization’s reach and impact in many ways.

My first encounter with The Democracy Collaborative (TDC) was around 2007 when the Evergreen Laundry founders were looking to locate their facility near University Circle in Cleveland. As a leader at a nonprofit affiliate of ShoreBank, the nation’s first community development financial institution, I was working to lease a facility in Glenville that also housed our offices, and we became property owner for the Laundry’s first facility. We also became the first commercial bank for several of the Laundry’s owner-employees, many of whom lived in and around the predominately African American neighborhood.

Fast forward to circa 2017 when I was CFO and senior vice president of business affairs at Cleveland State University (CSU). I heard Ted Howard give a TED Talk on campus. After the presentation, I reminded Ted of my connection to Evergreen Laundry. Shortly thereafter, he introduced me to his board chair, who soon asked me to join TDC’s board. From that post, I observed the impressive work of the team, which was impacting neighborhoods and regions around the world. As Board treasurer, I worked closely with the CFO and saw the financial workings of this powerful organization. 

At the end of 2020, Ted asked me to become TDC’s COO/CFO. I began working shoulder-to-shoulder with smart, dedicated, and hard-working colleagues. Meanwhile, we all watched the disasters unfold around the United States and the world, including racial violence and injustice; economic disparities; public health failures; voter rights challenges; violent threats against our democracy. We knew that TDC was positioned to offer meaningful solutions to many of these emerging and entrenched challenges.

I am honored to be part of the new leadership team at TDC and dedicated to ensuring that TDC can facilitate projects and advance policies that give many more underserved people opportunities to improve their lives.