Orchard Place | Chief Executive Officer

Founded in 1886, Orchard Place has grown into one of Iowa’s oldest and most trusted nonprofit organizations and a leading provider of children’s mental health services.

Today, the organization provides more than 5,500 services to children and families each year through a comprehensive continuum of care that includes outpatient services, community-based programs, and child and adolescent psychiatric residential treatment.

With more than 300 dedicated staff and an annual budget exceeding $20 million, Orchard Place is accredited by The Joint Commission and certified by the Sanctuary Institute, underscoring its commitment to the highest standards of care, safety, and accountability.

For nearly 140 years, Orchard Place’s mission has evolved alongside the changing needs of Iowa’s children and families, while its core purpose has remained constant:
to help young people heal, find hope, and build resilience in the face of mental health adversity. In a time when one in five children experiences a mental health challenge and too many go without adequate care, Orchard Place provides trauma-informed, healing-centered environments that recognize the impact of trauma and work intentionally to prevent further harm. Every day, Orchard Place’s clinicians, educators, and support staff walk alongside children and families during some of life’s most difficult moments, offering compassionate treatment, stability, and the tools needed to support long-term well-being and growth.

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) will provide visionary, values-driven leadership to advance the mission, strategy, and long-term sustainability of a complex, multi-program nonprofit organization serving children, youth, and young adults experiencing trauma, behavioral health challenges, or system involvement. Reporting to the Board of Directors, the CEO will serve as the organization’s chief strategist, culture carrier, fundraiser, and external ambassador, while ensuring strong internal operations, financial health, and programmatic excellence.

The CEO will guide the strategic planning process; the strategic fundraising and advocacy/lobbying efforts of the organization; recruitment, supervision and evaluation of the executive team; and collaboration with the board, key members of the community, donors, legislators, businesses and others to advance the mission of the organization. The CEO will fully embrace and demonstrate the philosophy, values, commitments and practices of the Sanctuary Model in guiding the day-to-day interactions with clients, families and staff, and must lead through presence, trust, and accountability.

They must balance compassion with disciplined execution – to steward the organization through growth, change, and evolving community needs.

Orchard Place is at a pivotal inflection point, and the next CEO will inherit an organization with extraordinary purpose, strong brand recognition, and deep community roots, alongside internal and external pressures. The organization will benefit tremendously from a leader who will take the time to observe, listen, learn, and build trust. For the right leader, this is not simply a CEO role – it is a once-in-a-career opportunity to shape the future of a vital institution and expand its impact on children, families, and communities for generations to come.

We recognize that there is a spectrum of lived and professional experience that will set candidates up for success in this role. While no one candidate will have every experience outlined in the position description, ideal candidates will display the following professional and personal qualities, skills, and characteristics

• Deep commitment to mission, equity, and trauma-informed practice
• Demonstrated integrity, humility, and ethical leadership
• Ability to center community voice and lived experience
• Strong cultural awareness and inclusion orientation
• Consistent steward of organizational values

• Proven ability to set a clear, compelling vision
• Track record of translating strategy into results
• Strong long-term thinker with operational discipline
• Sound decision-maker in complex…