Light House Executive Director, Heather Cassity was selected as a Leadership Anne Arundel (LAA) 2022 New Leaders Honoree. Nominated by LAA Alumni and the community at large, New Leaders Honorees are recognized as individuals who have stepped into new positions of leadership in the past year and show exceptional leadership for the betterment of Anne Arundel County.

According to LAA President & CEO Kris Valerio Shock, “LAA is the nexus of community leadership in Anne Arundel County and as such we have the opportunity to recognize individuals in our community stepping up to new leadership roles.”

Heather brings over 15 years of operational and management experience to her role as Executive Director of The Light House, which provides vital homelessness prevention and support services to over 100 community members in need each day. Heather began working at The Light House in 2017 when she was hired as Director of Operations and was later promoted to the position of Deputy Director before assuming her current role as Executive Director in 2022.

Heather stepped into this new leadership role as Executive Director during a critical period of operational challenges and organizational growth. Since the start of the Covid-19 Crisis, and continuing into 2022, Light House programs have been consistently serving 40% more individuals and families overall and operational expenses have increased by 30% since the start of the crisis. Heather’s compassion, dedication, and strong commitment to client needs, providing professional development and training opportunities for staff, and establishing best practices has been invaluable to the mission of the organization.

Before her time at The Light House, Heather worked in the nonprofit industry planning, implementing, and evaluating effective stewardship management for both the Anne Arundel Community College Foundation as well as St. John’s College. Heather also served on the American Prospect Research Association (Apra) Ethics and Compliance Committee. Prior to working in the nonprofit industry, Heather served in the United States Navy working as a linguist, analyst, and instructor.