After eight years with TNOYS, Executive Director Christine Gendron gave the TNOYS Board of Directors one year’s notice in August 2019 that she’d be stepping down from the organization in August 2020. TNOYS has grown substantially under Christine’s leadership, and her work has greatly strengthened our mission, services, and partnerships.
TNOYS is excited to build upon Christine’s impact through our work with stakeholders across Texas. Below, we have published letters to membership from both Christine and Board Chair Joel Levine with more information on this transition.
Announcement from our Executive Director:
Dear TNOYS Members,
I want to share the news that I plan to leave my role as Executive Director of TNOYS at the end of August this year.
It has been an honor and a privilege to support the amazing work that you do across the state of Texas and to lead this important organization over the last eight years. I have found it incredibly rewarding to learn from you and alongside you, and to advocate for and with you and the youth and young adults you serve.
This was a difficult decision for me to make, but I know that it’s the right one. I’m looking forward to dedicating my time and energy to new endeavors, and to seeing an outstanding new leader elevate the work of TNOYS!
I have immensely enjoyed leading TNOYS, including working with our talented and dedicated staff and with our many partners across Texas and beyond. TNOYS is in a very strong position in terms of our team, resources, and vision, and is poised to accomplish exciting new milestones under new leadership. Over the next six months, I will continue to work diligently with my team and with the TNOYS Board of Directors to facilitate a smooth transition.
I will look forward to seeing many of you at the TNOYS Annual Conference in June and at TNOYS’ first Youth Policy Conference in August, before my departure. In the meantime, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Thank you for all that you do,
Christine Gendron
Executive Director
cgendron@tnoys.org
Announcement from the Chair of TNOYS’ Board of Directors:
Dear TNOYS Members,
I’m writing to let you know that Christine Gendron is planning to conclude her tenure as Executive Director of TNOYS effective August 28, 2020.
Since Christine joined TNOYS as its Executive Director in 2012, she has worked hard to strengthen both TNOYS as an organization and Texas’ youth services field. Under her leadership, TNOYS has seen substantial success on both of those fronts.
During Christine’s tenure, TNOYS’ has achieved a robust operational and financial posture by attracting new investment from philanthropic partners across the state, including some of Texas’ largest foundations, winning multiple new government contracts, and expanding TNOYS’ membership and conference programs. She led TNOYS’ transition to a remote work environment, making it possible to establish a permanent presence in Houston while cutting overhead costs. TNOYS has cultivated a best-in-class team that now includes a Director of Public Policy, communications leadership, and many other highly-skilled and committed team members, including three young adults who have lived experience with homelessness and/or systems involvement.
In addition, under Christine’s leadership TNOYS has raised its profile and increased its collaboration and engagement with policymakers and regulatory agencies, moving the needle forward for Texas’ youth and families. TNOYS has led efforts to successfully secure numerous pieces of legislation to support young people and unlock millions of dollars in new funding for youth services. Most recently, TNOYS successfully led efforts to secure Texas’ first-ever state appropriation specifically to support services for youth and young adults experiencing homelessness. TNOYS has developed strong partnerships with the Office of the Governor and Texas’ youth-serving regulatory agencies, including the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, the Texas Education Agency, the Texas Workforce Commission, and others. These partnerships will continue to benefit TNOYS members and the youth and families you serve for many years.
TNOYS has continued to offer professional development services and has expanded its “practice” work to include program development, organizational development, and capacity building. TNOYS has led efforts to integrate youth voice into service planning and delivery, to reduce use of seclusion and restraint practices in facilities, to better understand and address youth homelessness, to strengthen collaboration between providers and school districts across Texas, and to build the state’s capacity to serve young people who have been trafficked or are at risk. Last year alone, TNOYS trained nearly 4,000 youth-serving professionals in evidence-based practices and promising approaches.
I’m proud of what TNOYS has achieved over the past eight years and I’m excited about what we are on track to accomplish in the future. The TNOYS Board of Directors is making plans to conduct a search for an outstanding new leader and will release a job posting soon.
Sincerely,
Joel Levine
Chair, TNOYS Board of Directors