H
i, my name is Jeff Kristenson and I am excited to join HopeBUILDERS as the new Executive Director. All my life, I have desired a career that allows me to build relationships and improve the quality of life for as many people as possible. After college, I intended to study law and pursue a career in public service but my professional life took a different turn. Instead of law school, I completed seminary and for the last 20 years, I have worked in the non-profit sector in California. My focus has been on organizational growth and development. I recently returned home to Kansas with my wife, Alysse and our daughter, Abigail. I was introduced to HopeBUILDERS and was immediately impressed — I knew I had to be a part. I submitted my application and was selected!
Most of my previous position was based on recruiting, training, and mobilizing people into high performance teams. I thrive in an environment of innovation and change and I love helping an organization develop and grow. I have been very successful at motivating and influencing people of very diverse backgrounds and uniting them toward a common purpose. I am passionate about helping low-income older adults and people with disabilities and I want nothing more than to use my decades of experience to meet the needs and improve the lives of others.
I love the mission of and vision of HopeBUILDERS and I look forward to championing our cause to the community. My professional experiences and skill-set have prepared me well for the role. I led an organization of nearly 2,000 people. I have worked closely with an executive board through season of significant transformation and growth. I supervised a professional staff and managed over 50 team leaders and nearly 500 volunteers. I was most effective at using compelling presentations, video, and printed materials, to share stories of our organization’s impact locally and around the world. Even through seasons of economic down-turn, our participation levels and financial base grew every year and we were the top fund-raising organization in our region for nearly a decade.
HopeBUILDERS has been changing lives for over 20 years and I am excited to be a part. I am especially excited as I think about our future. I believe the next 3-5 years will be the most significant in terms of transformation and growth in our history. We will continue to build on an excellent foundation. We will increase our capacity, grow our funding resources, and change even more lives. I look forward to serving with you!