A Message from our Executive Director
(From CEO's 2009 Annual Report)

Karen E. Gordon
CEO Executive Director

45 Years of Community Action: CEO Continues to Make a Difference

To understand the true impact that CEO has had on Rensselaer County residents over the years, one must look to its history and to the many programs that have over time, made CEO what it is today. Let’s take a look at our past as we plan for our future.

In the beginning, CEO administered the Summer Head Start Program, the year-round Child Development Center (also Head Start), the Neighborhood Center Program, and a Summer Recreation Program in Troy.  In the early years, CEO only serviced the City of Troy, however by 1967 there were many Human Resource Centers serving different areas of the County including Sand Lake, Hoosick Falls and Grafton.  By 1976, centers were located throughout the County assisting people with employment needs and on-the-job training.

When I first came to CEO in 1972 – just seven years after its creation – we had 20 employees, compared to today’s workforce of more than 225. Having long ago outgrown the limited, rented space we originally occupied, we now operate our programs in nine buildings that we own. In fact, we now rent space to other partners and additional organizations, which provides an additional revenue stream.

When I interviewed for the position of Executive Director over 25 years ago, I was asked what would be my first priority.

I believe my answer may have been the reason that I got the job – and helped bring about the changes at CEO that have most impacted the organization and the lives of hundreds of thousands of Rensselaer County residents.  This was my response: “We need to get the children out of the church basements, and provide them with a brighter, more promising environment.” Over the next 25 years we did just that.  Some 27 years later, I am still trying to help provide this environment to give Rensselaer County residents the same opportunities for a better life. For example, we are now in the process of building our sixth Family Resource Center in the Southern portion of the County. Once built, CEO’s services will be easily accessible to all residents of Rensselaer County. 

While CEO has grown exponentially from those early formative years – and has become such an integral part of the community – it has not been an easy road; and this is especially true these past years. I have faced many obstacles, such as the ongoing battle to find funding for our much-needed programs. When government funding for crucial programs and services dried up, I was forced to find alternative sources of revenue so those programs could continue without interruption. Too many people rely upon them to allow them to end.

One major challenge has not changed throughout my tenure: the difficulty in educating the public about the people CEO serves. Many just do not understand the encumbered life that comes with growing up in generational poverty. Some presume that people must be ‘lazy’ or just prefer a handout. This is simply not the case.  CEO strives every day to break the cycle of poverty by offering people the tools they need to positively impact their lives. Given the necessary resources, education, and opportunity, I believe people can change. Families can change, and become self-sufficient, successful, contributing members of the community. I have seen it happen throughout my tenure, and it’s what has kept me going all these years.

After more than a quarter-century on the job, I am very proud of what CEO has become and of all we have accomplished, but I continue to look to the future. These are very challenging times.  The current economic environment has placed so many more people in a situation of being unable to make ends meet.  We have been given a great responsibility of rebuilding our communities with funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA); and I take this very seriously.  Included in our 2009 Annual Report, on pages 6 & 7 is a Special Report on the ARRA funds. 

Nearly 40 years after joining CEO and a quarter of a century as Executive Director, I remain passionate about the organization, my staff, and the people we serve.  I still look forward to the challenges – and rewards – that lie ahead.  One thing is clear: as we celebrate our 45th Anniversary we cannot be content to look back, we are far too busy preparing for the future.
 

(Click here for a pdf of our 2009 Annual Report.)