Executive Director Announcement

Dear Community Partners,

It is our great joy to announce to you that the Board of Directors, having received the recommendation from the Reintegration Support Network (RSN) Search Committee, has appointed Terence Johnson to the position of Executive Director. This announcement comes after 7 months of activity by the Board of Directors and the Search Committee following the transition of former Executive Director, Jamie Jacobs. We honor Jamie’s tireless efforts to RSN; which richly served many members of the RSN Community. As a result of Jamie’s respectable and impressive leadership, RSN is in a strong position to move to the next level of growth. RSN publicly acknowledges Jamie’s contributions and will be forever grateful for the role she continues to play in supporting RSN’s leadership transition. 

Among the heralded experiences and competencies that Terence brings to the team is an extraordinary ability to build collaborative relationships with internal and external stakeholders. He joins RSN with a proven record of addressing a plethora of racial disparities that plague many underserved communities and people of color. Utilizing evidenced-based approaches, trauma-informed peer support modeling, and a vast array of intervention-based techniques, Terence has had a tremendous impact in dismantling systemic barriers to shared prosperity in Orange/Durham counties and the surrounding area. Terence holds a Bachelor of Science in Public Health and a Masters in Pharmaceutical Sciences, both from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 

Since our inception, RSN’s purpose has been to interrupt the systemic barriers that youth and their families experience accessing mental health and substance use services. RSN’s work builds upon current mentoring models by recognizing the unique value of youth being supported by adults with lived experience. Our work continues to be centered on inclusive and equitable practices that acknowledge the daily systemic and structural pressures that create gaps in opportunities for under-resourced and disadvantaged youth.

As RSN envisions advancing the mission of the organization to meet the increasing need of providing life-critical resources to address mental health, substance use/abuse, and the fight against systemic racism—we will be led by the following five components of RSN’s 2023 – 2026 strategic plan.

#1: Board Development: Recruit and retain qualified, engaged board members who will further the organization’s mission and strategic goals.

#2: Build Financial Sustainability: Foster a sustainable budget by 2025 through increased support from individual giving, businesses, foundations, government grants, sub-awards, and service fees. 

#3: Develop a Strong Internal Infrastructure: Optimize RSN’s internal infrastructure and capacity by developing a high-functioning staff, data management processes, and external messaging and outreach initiatives to build awareness of RSN.

#4: Increase the Number of Strategic Partnerships: Create RSN’s organizational Ecomap and identify key partners to cultivate and strengthen RSN’s impact and community reach.

#5: Consistently Engage in Advocacy and Coalition Building: Align and coalesce with entities that represent the mission and values of RSN.

We are excited about the next chapter for the organization and the privilege to galvanize RSN’s dedication to the community with innovative, compassionate, and impactful strategic alliances. We owe a great deal of gratitude to our Search Committee, which was chaired by Sophie Suberman. They began their work in November of 2022 and have been communicative, thoughtful, and equitable in the hiring process. Terence will officially commence his role as Executive Director at RSN on Monday, May 22, 2023. 

Please join me in welcoming Terence to the team in his new capacity. 

Yours in service,