Susan Johnson of Dennis to lead organizational effort to provide housing for adults with autism
Cape Cod Village has hired Susan Johnson of Dennis to serve as its first-ever Executive Director. In this newly-created position, Ms. Johnson will lead the organization’s efforts to provide quality housing and services for adults on the autism spectrum. Ms. Johnson had previously served on the Cape Cod Village Board of Directors, and was appointed at the organization’s board meeting on October 12th. She will begin her new role immediately.
Ms. Johnson brings a solid background from both the corporate and nonprofit sectors having previously served as Executive Director of the Harwich Ecumenical Council for the Homeless, Executive Officer/Director of the Home Builders and Remodelers Association of Cape Cod, and as private management consultant for a multitude of educational and nonprofit organizations including Duke University Medical School, and the American Heart Association. Ms. Johnson is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts – Amherst and holds a Non-Profit Leadership Certificate from Suffolk University School of Public Management. She is the co-founder of Katelynn’s Closet and a member of the Philanthropy Partners of the Cape and Islands.
“We were incredibly fortunate to have someone with Susan’s caliber of talent and leadership skills already serving our organization. From the time she joined our board in 2016, she fully-embraced our mission. Working with members of our Finance Committee, she helped us secure grants and loans needed to move forward with our project. When the time came to structure a leadership position for our organization, Susan’s background in housing, fundraising, and proven ability to lead made her the perfect fit. We could not be more excited to have her head our organization as we are set to embark on truly ground-breaking effort to support adults with autism here on Cape Cod,” said Robert Jones, President of Cape Cod Village.
“It’s an exciting time to be joining Cape Cod Village in a more formalized role. We are set to embark on a new phase of our project that has been embraced and supported by every town in the Lower and Outer Cape. We are grateful for this endorsement and financial support and are looking forward to developing an innovative housing community that can serve as national model. To know that our project may some day be replicated in other communities is something we hope the entire Cape Cod community can be proud of.
Cape Cod Village projects to break ground on its innovative housing model in March/April of 2018, and to complete construction by March/April of 2019. It anticipates that residents will move in during the Spring/Summer of 2019.
About Cape Cod Village
Cape Cod Village is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Orleans, MA. It was founded in 2011 by Bob and Lauren Jones, clinical social workers from Orleans, Massachusetts, and the parents of a young adult son with autism. Concerned about the lack of suitable long-term housing opportunities for adults with autism, they and other parents of children with autism formed Cape Cod Village with the ultimate goal of creating quality housing and programs to meet the unique needs of adults on the autism spectrum. Through private fundraising, grants and community preservation funding from surrounding towns, Cape Cod Village is set to construct a 15-unit housing complex for adults with autism in the heart of Orleans Village. The complex will be located on 3.8 acre parcel within walking distance of Orleans Center and will include a 3,000 square foot community resource center. The resource center will be open to residents, and their families, local nonprofits and the neighboring community and will offer social and training opportunities. For more information, visit www.capecodvillage.org.
