Habitat for Humanity Picks New Leader Amid Turmoil [View All]

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http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/05/national/05habitat.html?

By STEPHANIE STROM
Published: August 5, 2005

Habitat for Humanity International, one of the country's most successful charities, named a new leader yesterday, hoping to preserve its donor base and put behind it the turmoil over the firing in January of its founder, who has started a rival charity.

Jonathan T. M. Reckford, who becomes the charity's chief executive, has a résumé that includes stints at Goldman, Sachs & Company, the Walt Disney Company, Best Buy Inc. and most recently as executive pastor at Christ Presbyterian Church in Edina, Minn. Mr. Reckford said that despite his almost 20 years in the private sector, his faith had always propelled him toward nonprofit work.

"When I left Circuit City for Best Buy, I was asked what I thought were the elements of the perfect job," he said in an interview. "It would have just about described Habitat in terms of a mission-oriented organization directly serving the poor with international scope and scale and a Christian focus."

He will face the challenge of retaining donors, some of whom are supporting Habitat's former leader, Millard Fuller, who has started a new charity after his ouster and was sued by Habitat for initially calling his organization Building Habitat - a name the organization considered too close to its own. Mr. Fuller said his charity would raise money to support Habitat and other organizations dedicated to providing housing for the poor.