Launching Achieve Our Mission: Fahe’s New Leadership Development Program

This summer, Fahe proudly launched Achieve Our Mission—a bold new professional development initiative designed to equip nonprofit leaders across Appalachia with the tools, focus, and support they need to drive lasting change in their communities.

As Fahe’s network scales up to meet the region’s housing crisis head-on—aiming to build and rehabilitate 60,000 more homes and impact 1 million more people by 2030—Achieve Our Mission ensures our people are growing alongside our mission.

“I’m excited about this new program and expect that it will create common language and common purpose for Fahe, in alignment with our Members,” said Fahe President and CEO Jim King.

A Cohort Built for Impact

The first cohort of Achieve Our Mission includes 28 leaders from 26 Member organizations, along with 8 Fahe staff members. Over the next 14 months, these participants will tackle a “Performance Challenge”—a high-stakes issue in their organization that demands sustained leadership and innovation.

This is not a training for training’s sake. It’s a purpose-driven journey to strengthen organizations from within and expand their capacity to lead regional change.

Fahe Member organizations represented in the cohort include:

• Alabama Rural Ministries
• ADFAC
• Appalachia Service Project
• CAPNA
• Clinch Powell RC&D
• COAP
• Creative Compassion
• Eastern 8 CDC
• Fairmont-Morgantown HA
• Frontier Housing
• Garrett County Community Action Committee
• Highlands Housing Corporation
• HOMES, Inc.
• Housing Development Alliance
• HomeSource east tennessee
• KHRA
• Kentucky Mountain Housing Development Corporation
• Mountain TOP
• NHS of Birmingham
• Open Door Community
• Oak Ridge Housing Authority
• Peoples Self Help Housing
• People Incorporated
• SERCAP
• TN Community Assistance Corporation
• Woodlands Development

What the Program Includes

The 14-month commitment includes:

• One virtual training session
• Monthly virtual cohort calls
• Three in-person gatherings:
  • Fahe’s 2025 Annual Meeting
  • A Spring Retreat in Berea
  • Fahe’s 2026 Annual Meeting

Fahe is actively seeking additional funding partners to help us sustain and expand this effort—investing in the leadership that will drive transformational change across our region. We look forward to announcing what partners have joined us to provide funding to cover the cost of the program.

Program participants will share updates and early insights from their Performance Challenge at the upcoming Fahe Annual Meeting in Kingsport, Tennessee, from September 30 to October 2, 2025.