Dedicated to ending homelessness – one family at a time, Rainbow Village announced today that it has created the new role of Chief Strategy & Philanthropy Officer for seasoned nonprofit professional, Randy Redner. Having served Habitat for Humanity, American Cancer Society and United Methodist Children’s Home over the course of a combined 15 years, Redner is perhaps best known in the nonprofit realm for his most recent seven-year turn as President & CEO for the Community Foundation for Northeast Georgia (CFNEG). To accelerate Rainbow Village’s work and expand its reach, Redner hopes to leverage his connectivity to a leadership pipeline, wealth of event and fundraising experience, and shared vision with CEO, Melanie Conner, in his new role with the Duluth-based nonprofit.

“It feels like I’m coming full-circle,” said Redner. “Both Habitat for Humanity and Rainbow Village are focused on helping families through the provision of housing. I learned about Rainbow Village more than 20 years ago and got to know former CEO Nancy Yancey, who realized her incredible vision of a campus to provide housing and programming to families experiencing homelessness. When Nancy later announced her impending retirement, I was part of the team that helped recruit and hire Melanie to the role of CEO. I have always been impressed with this organization’s culture to move forward and their remarkable growth over the last 24 months in the midst of a pandemic. They check all the boxes. They have a great CEO and staff leadership. They have a board that is looking forward. And they have the financial and relational capacity to make growth happen. What’s the next big thing? How do we make that come about? That’s where I come in – to help them scale and build a Rainbow Village 2.0.”