HOME OF GUIDING HANDS NAMES EDWARD HERSHEY PRESIDENT AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Source:  Home of Guiding Hands

September 14, 2021 (El Cajon) - Home of Guiding Hands, an El Cajon based nonprofit providing programs and housing for men, women and children with developmental disabilities in San Diego and Imperial Counties, said its board unanimously named Edward Hershey president and chief executive officer.

“I could not be more pleased with Edward’s selection,” said Mark Klaus, who had been the nonprofit’s president for the past 10 years. “(I) know that he will continue to do great things for HGH and to improve the lives of those we serve.”

Hershey, 50, holds a master’s in human resource management and a bachelor’s in organizational leadership from Colorado State University. He also has 27 years of management experience. He joined Home of Guiding Hands in 2015 as vice president of operations and was later promoted to chief operating officer.

Earlier this year, Hershey led Home of Guiding Hands’ coordination with the San Diego Regional Center on the Personal Protective Equipment Project.

At the novel coronavirus pandemic’s onset, the San Diego Regional Center, one of 21 regional centers serving Californians with developmental disabilities, divided its operations into a hub and distribution center to furnish personal protective equipment and cleaning supplies to care providers. Home of Guiding Hands offered its large resource center as the storage and distribution hub.

“Under these extraordinary circumstances, everyone has had to pivot,” Hershey told Giving Back magazine. “While changing what they do, our team and partners have remained focused on serving the disability community. When we stay aligned with why we do what we do, how we get the job done becomes very clear.”

Before joining Home of Guiding Hands, Hershey spent 12 years as vice president of operations for Father Joe’s Villages, a San Diego nonprofit serving people who are experiencing homelessness and poverty. He also worked for the California Employment Development Department, specializing in veterans’ needs.

Before entering the private sector, Hershey served in the U.S. Navy and was honorably discharged in 1993.

Hershey graduated from the National Leadership Consortium on Developmental Disabilities, and is a member of the John Maxwell team certified as a leadership coach, speaker and trainer. He serves on the California Disability Services Institute and the California Disability Services Association’s boards and volunteers with the Boy Scouts of America and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

Hershey lives in El Cajón with his wife, Jessica and their three children, Julia, Niko and Ethan.

ABOUT HOME OF GUIDING HANDS

Home of Guiding Hands serves children and adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities such as Down syndrome, epilepsy, autism and cerebral palsy in California’s San Diego and Imperial counties.

Each year, the 800-employee nonprofit delivers support services to over 4,000 people in 31 specialized group homes, early childhood development services, independent living support and on-site activity services at its El Cajón, California resource center. The nonprofit also provides life-skills training, vocational assistance, free counseling, respite care and countywide transportation services.

Visit https://www.guidinghands.org/ for details.

To make a monetary donation or to sponsor one of the Home of Guiding Hands 30 residential homes by funding parties for the clients, donating home goods, purchasing appliances for the home, help with landscaping and home improvements, donate gift cards for the clients or fund recreational outings, please call Kaye Kelley at 619-938-2856 or visit www.guidinghands.org/support-us/.