NonprofitDisability ServicesChief People Officer
Chief People Officer for a Unionized Rural Disability Nonprofit
An established disability services nonprofit sought a Chief People Officer for its unionized care setting, which operated at all hours. After a recent hire left early, the new search placed trust, sound judgment, and staff confidence at its core.
The Client
The nonprofit provides residential, community, and work programs for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Its rural location means staff, residents, families, and care teams are in close contact every day. Many of the employees have been there for decades, so shared knowledge and trusted ties really matter in workplace decisions. Due to continuous care under a union contract, HR decisions are closely linked to staffing and service continuity. In this setting, HR remains visible through policy decisions that impact staff relations and daily staff support at every level.
The Challenge
The location was a limiting factor that reduced the number of possible senior HR leaders who could commute to a fully on-site role. Candidates from big cities were less practical for work connected to the daily needs on-site. The brief sought direct union experience, including grievances, arbitration, employment law, and compliance work. Legal insight was preferred as the leader would be involved in sensitive staff issues within a regulated care setting. Credentials alone would not be enough to win the trust of employees who had more years of service than most leaders had terms.
The Solution
Keller Executive Search expanded its footprint across the region and into a nearby city market. The team was looking for people who had led HR functions in union or regulated environments within a reasonable commuting distance. Experience in social services and residential care counted for more because those fields were aligned with the client’s everyday needs. A second round of outreach provided the board with stronger options without changing the core brief. Finalists completed a validated emotional intelligence assessment, providing additional evidence around judgment and people skills. The review put equal weight on labor skill and the calm manner needed to get through hard staff discussions. Committee meetings were a test of union knowledge, leadership style, and how each person coped with a long-serving workforce. The lead applicant also toured the site, helping both sides assess the work environment and expectations.
The Results
The selected leader lived within commuting range and had senior human resources experience in unionized social services organizations. Her record included the labor relations and compliance expertise that initiated the search. The accepted offer provided the nonprofit with stable leadership for its people function after the previous hire left. The organization brought in a Chief People Officer, who was very eager to support continuous care while respecting the knowledge that lived within its workforce.
The Impact
The previous HR leader had left within four months; the organization needed someone who could earn standing inside a workforce where tenure carries more weight than any title, and that was as much a cultural brief as a technical one. A union environment running around the clock across a residential campus does not give HR leadership the luxury of a long runway to build credibility, and the title was elevated before the offer was made to reflect the scope the role had always carried. The function now has leadership built for the culture it needs to serve, and the organization is better placed to hold together the workforce that keeps its care running.
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