After spending seven years at one of the most acclaimed universities in the country researching effective poverty programs, Heather Reynolds is returning to Catholic Charities Fort Worth as president and chief executive officer.
Her homecoming is perfectly timed. Just as Bishop Michael Olson and CCFW’s Executive Board began searching for a qualified administrator to lead the mission-oriented agency, Reynolds resigned her position as managing director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at University of Notre Dame and moved back to the city where she attended college and began a successful career in social work.
The Texas Christian University graduate spent 17 years at CCFW working her way up from a 22-year-old intern in the clinical counseling department to assuming leadership of the organization at age 25. The promotion made her one of the youngest CEOs of a nonprofit in the U.S.
“Our daughter is just months away from entering high school, so we had to decide whether to remain in South Bend another four to five years or make a change,” Reynolds said, explaining Fort Worth always felt like home. “When the CEO position became vacant at Catholic Charities, I was asked to come in for an interview.”
A heart for poverty work
Her first day back on the job was Feb. 17. Coming back to the agency where she spent so many years was an easy decision.
“Catholic Charities has my heart,” said the Arkansas native. “Where else can you work in one of the best communities on earth, with an amazing cause and in an amazing diocese? My heart is in poverty work, and I’m so excited to be going back to Catholic Charities.”
During her tenure as CEO, Reynolds launched a $16 million capital campaign to build the facilities necessary to aid a growing number of impoverished families. Successful strategies developed under her watch include Padua, a holistic case management program assisting needy families, and Stay the Course, a program designed for low-income students facing education challenges.
LEO researched the effectiveness of Padua and found it increased the probability of unemployed participants finding full-time work.
“It worked and now LEO and Catholic Charities Fort Worth are working together to raise money from national donors to expand and replicate Padua in Chicago and South Bend,” she explained. “The CCFW model will be implemented in two other cities and that makes me so proud. Padua has amazing outcomes for families and their economic condition. And it started here at Catholic Charities Fort Worth!”
Finding what works
When Reynolds arrived at Notre Dame, LEO conducted 25 research studies across the country. Today there are more than 110 studies trying to identify innovative and effective programs and policies that help people move permanently out of poverty.
“I’ve become even more passionate during my time at Notre Dame about the importance of evidence in services,” she said.
At the federal level, the U.S. spends $26,000 per recipient on anti-poverty programs.
“That’s a lot of money and we don’t know what works,” the CEO pointed out. “If we’re going to be about the dignity of the human person, I’m going to make sure people coming through the doors of Catholic Charities Fort Worth are given programs and services that actually work.”
According to the data she studied, one of the most vulnerable populations in society is the family — specifically fathers and husbands.
“Even programs that typically work don’t work for men,” she said, citing workforce participation and education attainment as examples. “And we all know men are critical to the family structure and raising healthy boys.”
Reynolds wants to make sure future CCFW programming brings fathers back into the family services picture.
“The way our system works today nationally, it doesn’t incentivize men to stay with and participate in the family,” she added. “We need to change that.”
Energized and grateful
The recently named CCFW executive spent her first few days at the agency’s Thornhill Drive headquarters getting to know employees and listening to their concerns. A lot has changed since she left the nonprofit in 2018.
“I’m coming in with a long history but also fresh eyes because of my time at LEO,” said Reynolds, who promises to bring what she learned to Catholic Charities. “I’m excited to get to know the team that has been working so diligently every day making sure we are the hands and feet of Christ.”
Spending seven years with like-minded people, immersed in research to solve poverty, is very different from the immediacy of social work.
“I had the time and headspace to go deep into an issue because there wasn’t a flow of people who needed help right away,” she observed. “Experiencing that was a gift.”
Energized and grateful for new opportunities, Reynolds is ready to go back into the trenches with clients.
“I’m ready to be in solidarity with the poor and walk into a lobby full of people again,” she said enthusiastically. “I missed that. I can take what I learned and bring it back to Catholic Charities for the greater good.”
Reynolds, her husband John, and their daughter Olive are looking forward to immersing themselves in Texas culture again with one newfound interest.
“I’ve developed an affinity for Notre Dame football,” she admitted. “I love the traditions surrounding the team, so I’ll be a huge fan going forward.”