Haberaecker heads Lutheran Services in America

The board of directors of Lutheran Services in America (LSA) on July 10 elected Charlotte Haberaecker of Annandale, Va., as the Baltimore-based organization’s president and chief executive officer, effective Aug. 6.

LSA is a national network of more than 300 health and human service organizations recognized by The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod and/or affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA).

As LSA’s president and CEO, Haberaecker succeeds Jill Schumann, who left the post in December 2011 after serving in it for 10 years.

Linda Timmons of Omaha, Neb. — who is chair of the LSA board of directors and of an executive search committee whose nine-month national search culminated with Haberaecker’s election — said that the committee’s goal “was to find the best possible leader for Lutheran Services in America. With Charlotte Haberaecker we have no doubt that we have succeeded. She has an incredibly broad base of expertise, is experienced in multi-sector collaborations and can motivate and inspire partners to join us in our mission. She has the recognized leadership to represent us exceedingly well at the national level.”

“So many things are changing in the health and human-service field,” said Haberaecker, “making it an exciting time to support Lutheran leaders, build up the health and vitality of LSA’s member organizations and work with many partners to lift up the amazing footprint of Lutheran health and human services in this country. I am honored to accept this position with Lutheran Services in America, which represents so much effective work to improve the lives of our neighbors. To be able to combine my nonprofit and business background and my faith is an amazing opportunity.”

From 2008 through 2011, Haberaecker was chief operating officer of Global Impact, a $110 million nonprofit organization dedicated to raising funds for critical humanitarian needs around the world. Global Impact administers two of the largest workplace-giving campaigns of any organization.

Previously, she served in several senior executive-level positions focused on innovative problem-solving and strategy at Fannie Mae (1992-2007) and was with Price Waterhouse (1979-92), where she led a management-consulting practice, led sales and directed engagements in organizational effectiveness and strategic planning. Among her projects at Price Waterhouse were comprehensive studies of children and family services, and health-care service.

Most recently, Haberaecker has been a consultant with Compass Consulting in Washington, D.C.

She is a member of an ELCA congregation in Annandale.

In 1976 she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration in Management Science from the University of Illinois.

An LSA news release announcing Haberaecker’s election notes that the LSA president and CEO “is accountable to the board of directors, provides leadership to accomplish the vision and mission of the organization in accordance with its core values, is responsible for maintaining positive relationships with members and constituents and for representing the organization effectively to external constituencies.”

The release also points out that “together, [the 307] LSA organizations serve more than 6 million Americans — or one in 50 — each year and have a combined annual income of more than $18 billion.”

Posted July 26, 2012