New Leadership, Renewed Hope: Center for Respite Care Welcomes Tyler Keene and Ed Slater assumes a new role
Introducing Tyler Keene
Tyler Keene is the new Chief Advancement Officer at the Center for Respite Care. Tyler is a passionate nonprofit leader dedicated to reducing human suffering in our communities and increasing access to the resources needed to improve quality of life for people experiencing homelessness. Tyler recently relocated to Ohio from NJ where he was the Executive Director of The Branches Outreach , stewarding their mission through a major transition from a small grassroots nonprofit outreach center for people experiencing homelessness to a large-scale comprehensive social service organization. Tyler was also the Director of Partnerships at a national nonprofit headquartered in Philadelphia providing services to children and families in America’s most under-resourced communities. He earned a degree in Political Science & Health Policy from Mount St. Mary’s University in Maryland.
What made you seek out the mission of the Center for Respite Care?
“In my previous role in New Jersey at The Branches Outreach, our county’s largest homeless outreach center, I had to watch countless people experiencing homelessness suffer due to lack of medical resources. To see guests of our center pass away, year after year, due to preventable health outcomes post hospital release was heartbreaking. Health outcomes for people experiencing homelessness would have significantly improved if we had access to the amazing resources the Center for Respite Care provides. As I was assessing what was next for my career, it became very clear the CRC’s mission is one I would be honored to serve.”
Ed Slater takes on a new role
While Keene is a new addition, another name is already well known to the Center’s community: Ed Slater. After more than a decade of dedicated service in development, volunteer coordination, and events, Slater has been named Director of Volunteer Engagement.
He holds a Master of Divinity, an MBA focused on non-profit administration and is a decades long member of the Cincinnati Association of Volunteer Administrators (CAVA). Ed has a long history of advocacy for those underserved in our community. His roots in this work run deep—from the ministries of the Franciscan Province of St. John the Baptist to co-founding Tender Mercies, an organization that provides permanent supportive housing for adults experiencing homelessness and chronic mental illness.
“Ed’s commitment to our clients and volunteers is unmatched,” said Nelson. “He has long been a steady, guiding force here. This new role allows him to do what he does best—build relationships and inspire service.”
22 Years of Healing and Hope
Founded in 2003, the Center for Respite Care has supported thousands of clients through more than 5,500 bed nights annually. It stands alone in Greater Cincinnati as a place where people experiencing homelessness can safely recover after hospitalization, surrounded by medical care and compassionate case management.
For Keene – “Everyone deserves basic human dignity, and the resources needed to thrive. I am grateful to be a part of this team and look forward to helping the Center make lasting progress in service of our mission.”
