The Director of Anchor House, Keith Fernett, joined Anchor House at the end of 2004, when the Trustees realised that new leadership was needed. His background is in public sector housing/ building services, and project management, and he has held senior consultancy roles in the UK and USA. He is a trained economist and town planner, with extensive experience of the housing world. He has held numerous Directorships and senior positions within the public sector, and is a specialist in leadership, corporate governance, and performance and change management.
It is his breadth of expertise in change management that has revitalised Anchor House, and transformed it from its dilapidated state. Keith started with a blank sheet of paper, and a new vision for Anchor House. Over the last six years his energy, boldness and absolute commitment to the plight of homeless people has made Anchor House a byword for best practice in the third sector, and an example of how the modern charity should operate.
Dear Keith,
I am the Executive Director & CEO of Inspiration Corporation (www.inspirationcorp.org), a nonprofit human services organization in Chicago that is expanding its social enterprise activity. In early 2011, Inspiration Corporation will rebrand and expand its food industry social enterprise as Inspiration Kitchens, which will include two restaurants, a catering company, and a private label coffee line. I am also a leader with the US Social Enterprise Alliance – Chicago Chapter and Chicago Alliance to End Homelessness.
Thanks to a 2010 Chicago Community Trust Fellowship, I am traveling in the US and UK to meet with peers who have developed thriving social enterprises in an array of industries. I would be grateful to meet with you about Anchor House during my upcoming trip to London in early December. Would it be possible to meet for an hour on December 1, 2 or 3, 2010? I would also appreciate any recommendations of leading London-based charities and social enterprises addressing the employment needs of homeless individuals that I might visit.
Thanks for your consideration. I look forward to hearing from you.
All the best,
John