The Children’s Guild (TCG), one of the largest providers of charter schools, special education, autism services, treatment foster care, and family mental and behavioral health services in the region has announced the appointment of Chris Zimmerman as the new Chief Financial Officer and newest member of the executive team. Zimmerman was most recently Chairperson of the Board for TCG and will be replacing Charley Gordon who has assumed the role of Chief Revenue Officer for TCG. Andrew Hahn is now Chairman of the Board of Directors for the organization.
“Chris, Charley and Andrew have been instrumental in the success of The Children’s Guild, and we are thrilled they will continue to provide their expertise in their new leadership positions. Our senior team and board of directors are committed to the strategic direction and goals of TCG organization’s growth plan as we continue to respond to the unique needs of every child, family, and community we serve,” said Jenny Livelli, President and CEO of The Children’s Guild. “We are well positioned with the right talent to drive our organization into the future, and implement our new strategic plan and vision set forth by The Children’s Guild Board of Directors emphasizing effective, efficient, and quality operations across all TCG service areas.”
Chris Zimmerman who was most recently Chair of the Board of The Children’s Guild has become a member of the senior leadership team as the Chief Financial Officer of the organization. He was most recently with from Diligent Corporation, the leading governance, risk, and compliance SaaS company. As a director there, he partnered with all areas of the organization to institute new policies, processes, and systems. Prior to joining Diligent, consulting for top firms such as Accenture, Chris spent a decade advising C-Suite executives at Fortune 500 companies. He gained experience assisting organizations in a variety of industries, including education; finance; technology; health insurance; professional services; government; health and life sciences; travel; and manufacturing. Before joining the board, Chris had been supporting The Guild as a volunteer since 2014. He was as a founding member of The Children’s Guild DC Charter School Board of Directors.
Charley Gordon joined The Children’s Guild in November 2020 as its Chief Financial Officer before moving to
the Chief Revenue Officer role in July 2022. Charley brings 41 years of experience in the private sector to his work at The Children’s Guild. He is a senior executive with extensive experience in diverse industries such as wholesale distribution; manufacturing; computer hardware, software and services; hospitality; integrated marketing; public accounting; start-up consulting and funding; not-for-profits in human services, music and theater; and real estate development, acquisitions, investing and management. Prior to joining The Children’s Guild, he held the positions of President of OPS Unlimited; VP Finance & Administration for Calico Industries; Chief Financial Officer for SuiteLinq; VP of Operations for Micros Fidelio Direct; and Chief Financial Officer for Hayman Systems. Charley is a Certified Public Accountant and earned his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Boston University.
Andrew Hahn, CFP®, CRPC® joined The Children’s Guild Board in 2019 and has taken over the Chairperson role. He is a vice president and financial advisor with Seventy2 Capital Wealth Management, where his clients include families that have members with special needs. Previously, Hahn was a financial advisor for Merrill Lynch, and UBS, and before that, he founded and ran businesses in printing, publishing and information technology. He is a Certified Financial Planner® and a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor®. He holds a degree in business management from James Madison University
In addition, Howard Kurman, an employment attorney, and Principal of the Baltimore Office, Offit Kurman Attorneys at Law, will be joining the Board of Directors. Howard will serve alongside Keri Lowry, associate director for national security at Guidehouse and Neil Young, retired from his work as an insurance broker and advisor who have both extended their positions on the TCG board until 2025.
Dr. Paul Rao who was most recent the “Past Board Chairperson” has stepped down. “Paul brought over 40 years of experience in health care leadership and speech-language pathology to The Children’s Guild, and we owe him a debt of gratitude for his dedication and years of service to our organization. Paul previously served as Vice Chair, three years as Chair and two years as Past Board Chair and we wish him well in his future endeavors,” added Jenny Livelli.
Affiliates of The Children’s Guild include The Children’s Guild, Inc., Baltimore Campus, The Children’s Guild DC Public Charter School, The Children’s Guild – Prince George Campus, Monarch Academy Glen Burnie, Monarch Academy Global – Laurel, Monarch Academy Annapolis, The Outpatient Mental Health Clinic, Treatment Foster Care, The Children’s Guild- Transformation Academy, Monarch Preschool College Park, TranZed Academy for Working Students (TAWS), and TranZed Apprenticeships. For more information, visit https://childrensguild.org/.
