Jennifer Clark was recently promoted to St. Vincent de Paul Louisville’s Chief Executive Officer / Executive Director amidst the retirement of Dave Calzi who has served in that role since Jan. 2022. Clark will serve as the first female leader in the organization’s 170-year history. She joined SVDP in 2017 and has served as Chief Operating Officer since 2021. We sat down with Jennifer to hear her story.
How did you end up in the nonprofit world?
I started volunteering at a very young age and I think that’s where my love of and exposure to nonprofits started. When I got to the University of Louisville in undergrad, I really went deep with it in Louisville. I did like 900 hours of community service.
Why is housing such a passion for you?
I was just so captured by how many things housing addresses for people. I just think it’s so hard to do anything else—to get an education, to hold down a job, to support your mental health, to get better and recover on any number of issues—without housing. Housing is that issue that intersects with every system.
How are you feeling about this new role?
It’s difficult work but I definitely feel called to it. As hard as it is, there are very few things that are more satisfying, and it’s something that I’m passionate about. I’m excited to grow more and represent the work that St. Vincent de Paul does and that our team does because I think they’re amazing. Transitions are difficult. I want to help this organization get to a place where we’re stable, sustainable, a great place to work, and provide quality services and housing to the community. That’s really my number one goal.
What is your focus as you transition into CEO?
St. Vincent de Paul is facing some financial headwinds, which I think is true in a lot of the community. This economy has been a rollercoaster. We’ve experienced massive inflation and the challenges that a lot of nonprofits are having. I came right in at the beginning of our budget process for the next fiscal year and the beginning of our strategic planning process for the next five years. I love the big picture, figuring it all out, and making a beautiful picture out of a bunch of puzzle pieces.
If St. Vincent de Paul went away, what would happen to the community?
I think it’s easy to take an organization like St. Vincent de Paul for granted. We’ve been here 170 years and over that time we’ve taken on more and more and expanded and grown. It’s been amazing. You think about what we do, we have a retail operation, property management, maintenance, case management, mental health and substance use counseling, we serve kids, we serve people fleeing domestic violence, we run an emergency shelter. We do all of that with an incredibly lean team. It’s hard for the community to understand what that takes to maintain an organization like that. I think what happens sometimes with that is—for the community and donors—is it’s easiest to tune out. If St. Vincent de Paul went out of business, there would be hundreds of people on the streets.
How can we have empathy for the unhoused population?
If you’ve always had electricity, plumbing, easy access to a refrigerator or medication, a way to charge your phone, then it’s hard to understand what the unhoused population is going through. I think people can empathize with what it would be like if they’ve never experienced that just by thinking through some of the hard times that they’ve had.
How does your personal faith influence your work to help those in need?
I really consider this work my faith in action and it drives why I do this. There’s something about being a part of something bigger than yourself that has such an incredible purpose and impact in individual lives and the community. I think anybody who comes here will tell you there’s a sacredness to this work.
do you have a shelter for a mother and a21 year old daughter and if so how do we get there with no money because me and my daughter needs a place.
Hi Jenny, thank you for reaching out, and sorry to hear about your situation. While we only have a men’s shelter, there are shelters throughout the city that may have available spots. To reserve a shelter bed for the night, call the Coalition for the Homeless Single Point of Entry office at (502) 637-BEDS (2337). They accept calls from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every day of the week. They will direct you to a shelter that has an available bed meeting your current needs.
We may have a housing opportunity available, but that depends on timing and one’s situation. Our housing applications are also handled through the Coalition for the Homeless and its Common Assessment team. To be assessed for on- and off-campus permanent housing opportunities, call (502) 637-BEDS (2337) and ask about the Common Assessment. Let us know if you have any additional questions.