Contact: Nicholle Granger
ngranger@voaches.org
SePTEmber 7, 2023
Volunteers of America Chesapeake & Carolinas (VOACC) is excited to announce Caleb Jackson as the new Chair of our Board of Directors. Caleb has been a member of the Board since 2019 and had served as Co-Vice Chairman for two years prior to being voted Chair.
Caleb brings a wealth of experience and passion for community development that has added value to VOACC’s mission to support the most vulnerable in our communities, notably in the area of expanding access to affordable housing across Maryland, DC, Virginia and the Carolinas.
While attending Howard University in his pursuit for a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science and Government, Caleb established Operation Help The People, a multi-national nonprofit focused on enhancing the economic development and wellbeing of communities in Jamaica, Haiti and the United States. With family roots in Jamaica, Caleb and his team have impacted the lives of more than 40,000 individuals since 2014.
Since 2016, Caleb has built a career in real estate acquisitions and development. In 2020, he became the founder of Lion Development LLC, scaling his real estate portfolio surrounding Johns Hopkins University, and purchasing value add multi-family throughout the DMV. Presently, Lion Development is focused on becoming a regional player in the Northeast region.
We asked Caleb a few questions…
What about VOACC inspired you to join the BOD?
When I was winding down my role in operating Operation Help The People, I was looking for an opportunity to serve the community in a different way. Years ago, my business coach invited me to one of VOACC’s events, Harvest for Hope, and that’s when I met Russell Snyder. Prior to that, I had no idea that organizations with the breadth of services like VOACC existed. After engaging with Russ after the event, it became clear that there were a lot of synergies between my work and VOACC’s housing development, health and human services portfolio. I know Russ sensed it too. So, when he asked me to join the Board in 2019, I jumped right in.
Being a part of VOACC’s Board has been a fulfilling experience. I have two goals in my life, do meaningful work and build meaningful relationships. VOACC satisfies both.
What are you looking forward to the most in your role on the Board?
This will be my first time sitting in a role as Chairman for a Board and I’m excited by the challenge and opportunity to continue to grow as a professional. I’m also looking forward to continuing to grow the relationships I’ve built with my fellow Board Members over the past several years, and leveraging their expertise to help VOACC achieve its 2025 Strategic Goals.
My goal is to make a meaningful impact during my tenure as Chairman across all of VOACC’s programs, while focusing on helping to grow the affordable housing initiatives of their Mid-Atlantic Neighborhood Development Corporation as that most closely aligns with my day-to-day work.
What does being “Called To Care” mean to you?
There is much more to life than focusing solely on economic output. For me, being “Called to Care” means using your skills to help others in society and to lift while you climb.