The Planning Council names next President and CEO
Jo Ann Short has 30 years’ experience leading multiple nonprofits, fundraising, and developing regional partnerships to address community needs.
NORFOLK, VA – The Planning Council announced today the appointment of Jo Ann Short as its next President and CEO. Jo Ann will officially assume this role on March 28, 2022. This announcement comes after an extensive six-month national search that drew candidates into a multi-round selection process.
Jo Ann Short is a veteran leader of nonprofit organizations. As the founder and principal consultant of Simplify Nonprofit, Jo Ann provided consulting services for nonprofit organizations since 2017. Prior to this, Jo Ann served as a nonprofit consultant for national organizations such as the Girl Scouts of the USA and small nonprofit startups. Jo Ann has three decades of leadership experience with the YMCA Movement where she served as CEO for 14 years.
Jo Ann’s experience includes leading strategic growth and program innovation. Her experience with nonprofit fiscal responsibility, youth services, developing solutions to address community needs, and developing community partnerships will keep The Planning Council on a progressive path for continued community impact and future growth.
The previous CEO, Angela Kellam, announced her resignation in September 2021, effective first quarter 2022. Ms. Kellam joined the organization in 2016 and built strength into the infrastructure to create a sustainable future. The last two years she successfully guided the organization through the ill-effects of COVID-19. Oneiceia Howard, Chair of The Planning Council Board of Directors, acknowledged, “We thank Angela for her five and a half years of dedicated leadership, and for turning us in a direction for future success.”
Oneiceia expressed, “We are delighted that our national search has brought Jo Ann Short into The Planning Council team. Jo Ann is exactly who our organization needs right now. She brings a proven ability to foster and grow community partnerships and will provide undisputed value to our team. Jo Ann is a visionary leader who is enthusiastic about developing and executing strategy and working collaboratively to increase organizational impact. She sees challenges as opportunities and is committed to creating positive change.”
Short said of the position, “I’m grateful for the opportunity to bring my decades of leadership and community service experience to The Planning Council, our clients, community partners, and stakeholders to continue creating positive social change by partnering with others to meet community need.
Oneiceia added, “This is an extraordinary opportunity for a transformational leader such as Jo Ann to craft an innovative strategy to create and enhance supportive programs for diverse communities. With increased institutional and government investment in community-based organizations, the opportunity for a visionary leader to leverage TPC’s expertise to inform the expansion of services and facilitate connections has never been greater.”
In talking about the new assignment Short said, “The Planning Council is well positioned to be a national model for innovation, equity, impact and organizational sustainability as we all emerge from the pandemic. I’m looking forward to serving with the board and staff team to keep that momentum going and our mission advancing.”
***For more than 80 years, The Planning Council (TPC) has been improving quality of life and building stronger communities. They work to identify community needs, connect people with solutions, and improve the lives of children and families and work for the betterment of the most vulnerable populations. Headquartered in Norfolk, and serving north to Baltimore, The Planning Council is governed by a 23-person volunteer regional Board of Directors and operates a $13 million annual budget with 38 dedicated and talented team members.