Cheryl P. Johnson

COALITION ON TEMPORARY SHELTER

DETROIT, MICHIGAN

“The ‌ Catalyst Collective program has presented us with an opportunity to shape our own unique voices to believe and know that we have power, influence, and impact in the communities where we live and thrive.”

MY TIME WITH MY CATALYST COLLECTIVE PROGRAM COHORT, and now friends, has been well spent and has been simply inspiring. I have been inspired and challenged by the information shared in each of our sessions together. My own internal narrative and how I perceive leaders of color, particularly women of color, has been disrupted. The Catalyst Collective program has presented us with an opportunity to shape our own unique voice to believe and know that we have power, influence, and impact in the communities where we live and thrive. This has been an amazing journey and I believe I have discovered new lifelong friends.

Cheryl pictured with staff member and youth at COTS office.

I’m hopeful that this journey continues for myself and others after me. Being a part of this program makes me hopeful for what’s possible for the future of nonprofit organizations. I’m hopeful that we will see more women of color in nonprofit leadership roles. As we strengthen our core values and elevate our voices, I believe this will model the way for others to lead powerfully.

ABOUT Purpose-driven and accomplished, Cheryl is dedicated to alleviating suffering in the world wherever she finds it. For the past thirty years, she has endeavored to improve the lives of homeless families in Detroit through her work at Coalition On Temporary Shelter (COTS), an organization founded in 1982 that provides an array of housing opportunities and support services for families. She created COTS’s Passport to Self-Sufficiency™, a theory of change which aims to change the legacy of poverty for the next generation and beyond.