In the past year since Raphael Holloway was named a 2023 Titan 100, he was reminded of the importance of managing change within the organization he leads. As the CEO of Gateway Center, Holloway navigated the change in critical personnel as the Board Chairman of 17 years stepped down from his role.
“This change has had a widespread ripple effect in the community, among staff and with funders that had to be managed appropriately,” said Holloway. “I remain committed to making the necessary adjustments to ensure that Gateway Center continues to be a leader in addressing homelessness in our community.”
Gateway Center has a mission to connect people experiencing homelessness with the support necessary to become self-sufficient and find a permanent home. The organization’s programs focus on eliminating barriers to housing and employment, including but not limited to behavioral health, substance abuse and document readiness.
Under Holloway’s leadership, in a tough financial climate, the organization was able to maintain its expanded services, provide salary/compensation increases for staff and achieve many of its programmatic goals including successfully meeting a big goal of housing 1,000 individuals.
“Because of Raphael’s commitment to working collaboratively in the community, Gateway Center has continued to thrive despite the challenging economic climate,” said his staff.
In the past year, Holloway has established new funding partners while strengthening the commitment of its current funding partners. In addition, he is working with the board of directors and community partners to launch a capital campaign, the first of its kind for Gateway Center, that will focus on transforming its facility into a building that is trauma informed and promotes healing. If successful, the capital campaign will raise an estimated $15 million to $20 million which will transform Gateway Center to a place of healing for those experiencing homelessness for the next 10-15 years, said Holloway.
“Raphael measures impact against the goals that he sets for himself and the organization,” said his staff. “He is intentional about utilizing SMART goals and utilizes these goals to measure not only his effectiveness as a leader, but also his accomplishments as a leader.”
According to Holloway, as a leader of a nonprofit, facing challenges becomes a collaborative effort. “I would say that the most important attributes of a successful leader are the ability to collaborate, the agility to have a strategic vision that you can execute and the ability to mobilize and motivate your team.”
