Interim CEO: Homeless Leadership turnover ‘not sustainable’ 

Hoping to stabilize an organization in flux, the Homeless Leadership Alliance’s fourth chief executive in less than three years sees “serious work ahead.”

The lead agency for mitigating homelessness in Pinellas County, the Homeless Leadership Alliance, announced earlier this month that Cheri Holzbacher replaced Aaron Swift as interim CEO. The board of directors highlighted Holzbacher’s “wealth of experience” and role in securing over a billion dollars in funding for behavioral health, housing and social services throughout her career.

Holzbacher believes she has the “right mix of experience, strategic thinking and emotional intelligence” to guide the organization through uncertainty. However, she “didn’t initially raise my hand for this.”

“I wasn’t willing to sit back and watch things fall apart,” Holzbacher said. “I stepped in because I believe in the mission, I care about the people doing this work, and I knew – with a little push from my colleagues, family and friends – that I could stabilize, rebuild trust and lead with clarity and compassion.

“I also knew I’d only accept this role if I was ready to commit to it.”

The Homeless Leadership Alliance (HLA) works to prevent, divert and end homelessness by helping plan, implement and align a countywide crisis response system. The organization also provides housing navigation, administrative support, coordination and funding management to facilitate the Pinellas Continuum of Care’s (CoC) policy goals.

The CoC’s executive committee, which includes nine elected officials and 16 community leaders, dictates the HLA’s role as the area’s lead homelessness agency. In February, County Commissioner Vince Nowicki said the latter organization could lose that status at the former’s March meeting.

Nowicki said the CoC’s board issued a letter stating it would give the nonprofit a “stringent list of real contingencies to meet” if it continued serving as its lead agency. The HLA announced Holzbacher’s promotion five days after the meeting.

“It was made clear that the CoC wants the HLA to continue as its lead agency, with the understanding that there’s serious work ahead,” Holbacher said. “Communication has strengthened, and we’re aligned in our shared goal of moving forward together.”

The HLA also announced March 6 that Kimberly Rogers and Nick Carey will serve as its board’s chair and vice chair, respectively. Holzbacher, who previously served as director of quality and performance improvement for the HLA, said the relationship between the organization’s board and CoC’s executive committee has already “seen tremendous improvement.”

Monica Alesnik led the agency from August 2022 to January 2024. Daisy Correa succeeded Alesnik in March and left in November. However, Holzbacher called HLA’s staff “amazing, dedicated people who have all my respect” and “never stopped showing up.”

Swift served as vice-chairperson before becoming interim CEO in December 2024. Holzbacher said he completed his 90-day contract during a “transitional moment.”

“Still, the impact of turnover is real,” Holzbacher added. “It’s not sustainable, and it’s not fair to the people who depend on our mission, the staff, partners or community.”

Cheri Holzbacher, interim CEO of the Homeless Leadership Alliance.

She noted that continuous leadership changes can undermine trust and impede momentum. The HLA’s latest Point in Time Count survey found that at least 2,110 people experienced homelessness in Pinellas County on a single night in January 2024.

Pinellas County Schools provides data on students who experience homelessness for the survey. Over 3,500 local children went without stable housing last year.

Holzbacher joined the HLA in July 2024. The organization credited her “pivotal role in enhancing program efficiency and effectiveness” and “deeply personal” passion for housing rights.

“I’ve sat at almost every table – from grassroots organizing to government contract negotiations, facilitating strategy retreats to walking encampments,” Holzbacher said. “I’ve overseen two divisions, simultaneously, with over 20 management-level direct reports for the largest behavioral health system in Tennessee.”

She believes her experience leading cross-system changes, supporting organizations through transitions, developing “awesome and unlikely” teams and facilitating “honest conversations during difficult moments” makes her uniquely suited to guide the HLA. Holzbacher also stressed the importance of building trust and discerning lasting solutions rather than quick fixes.

While Holzbacher hopes to guide the organization into the future, she also realizes a “thoughtful and intentional” search process is critical to ensuring the HLA’s long-term success. She said her job will remain the same, whether in an interim or permanent capacity.

Holzbacher said the associated suffering and indignity “should be reason enough” to support ending homelessness. She also noted that it affects the surrounding community’s health, safety and economy.

“It is one of the clearest signs that something isn’t working,” Holzbacher said of homelessness. “Most of us are closer to it than we realize – one layoff, diagnosis, rent hike, natural disaster or economic downturn away.”