Reflections from the Outgoing Executive Director

Reflecting on the past seven years as executive director, I am struck by three main themes: (1) expect the unexpected, (2) change is the only constant and (3) we have got this! I returned to NFI in 2018, as the former executive director, Steve Hahn, was retiring. This was a tough time for us, as we were short staffed like never before, so the staff we did have were overwhelmed, working far too many hours, and had no work/life balance. Since turnover leads to more turnover, we took some drastic steps to optimize our size and ensure that the services we provided met our own standards. We scaled back, with the help of our funders and licensors, shuttering some programs altogether and redeploying the staff to stabilize others. We also closed programs that were running well operationally but not fiscally, in order to raise wages and attract and retain our workforce, those who actually accomplish the mission. We focused on quality, not quantity, and while we ended that first year significantly smaller, we were gaining control, and our staff could breathe again. By the end of 2019, we developed a strategic plan that would take us to excellence through planned growth and accreditation. We begin the accreditation journey in the summer of 2019 and rolled up our sleeves to review best practice standards and make sure our policies aligned with practice.

Little did we know what was lurking around the corner, but because we have historically had a disaster planning mindset, we were as ready as any human service agency could be when the pandemic hit. Our succession plans, our training, our continuity of operations plans all came into play. Fortunately, we had just secured an online training platform in preparation for accreditation, so we were quickly ready for remote/hybrid work. Our two-year training implementation plan turned into two months! Our directors of finance and of quality and development were meeting trucks in alleys within a week of the pandemic to secure PPE. We participated vocally with the trade organizations to get ARPA funds directed towards our work force; this had the fortunate side effect of educating the legislature about the work we do and the people who do it and led to a continued escalation of hourly wages. I was chairing The Caring Force, and the circumstances led to opportunities to educate everyone about the value of the work we do. And at NFI, we also refused to back off on our strategic initiatives to keep improving (sometimes to the annoyance of the staff): we pursued DEIB, Lived Experience Voice, and accreditation.

In April of 2021, we had our hybrid site visit and were awarded full accreditation with no findings (of course we figured they also just felt sorry for us because we were brave enough to keep working on this during the pandemic). We also responded to many RFRs, started to implement some real plans to address the racial disparities we saw in levels of compensation and responsibility, and continued to revise and refine our programs. DMH asked us to relocate our largest projects, Evolutions, to a new site, and we assisted in finding and preparing that new site. Due to several move delays, in the final weeks, staff literally had no furniture and had to sit on the floor to hold meetings. But we knew we were flexible and adaptable!

From 2022-2024, we continued to raise the base wages, explore how we can improve, adjust and add NAFI Florida to our portfolio, learn from our mistakes, and implement our strategic plan that ranged from creating scholarships and mentoring programs to address disparities, to going paper free with our health record and fiscal functions, to figuring out how to fill vacancies. Our attention gradually shifted from recruiting to retention, and we now have programs that are 100% staffed, and a vacancy rate across the agency of 10%. In 2024 we embarked on another strategic plan and accreditation cycle, and in March of 2025 once again passed COA with no findings. This spring we also fought and won an unexpected battle to restore funding for children’s mental health services. We just launched our latest strategic plan which charts another ambitious course, even while we are aware that other uncertainties loom ominously. We will persevere and we will not compromise. We will figure it out, whatever happens, and we will take care of the staff who make the magic happen.

As I step away, I am doing so with utmost confidence in my successor and the agency’s executive and senior leadership, and the utmost confidence in our staff. None of what we accomplished could have happened if staff were not continuing to transform lives: one child, one individual, one family and one community at a time. Delivering excellent and effective services safely is foundational to all other efforts. I have absolute faith in NFI’s unique ability to do the right thing, without compromising our core principles. We are ethical, we are compassionate, we are smart, and we are kind. Look at all we have done—planned and unplanned! Look at all the potential ahead of us to help even more people, to be a part of even more human service careers. NFI staff at all levels, you deserve to be immensely proud of your accomplishments and of your organization. To our Board, trade organizations, funders, licensors, and parent organization, families and individuals served, we could not have done any of this without your collaboration and support.

I tell my own children to find what you love and do it well. I recognize how privileged I have been to be able to do just that, and that NFI is unique in its ability to provide nurturing environments that maximize potential for everyone. Thank you everyone, for your service, and for letting me be of service as NFI’s executive director these past seven years.

Onward and upward,

Lydia Todd