Today we’d like to introduce you to Jeremy Deming
Hi Jeremy, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Jeremy Deming earned degrees in Business Related Technology and Business Administration. He is also a graduate of the Advanced Executive Leadership Program at University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. He completed the Global Institute for Leadership Development’s leadership development program facilitated by Linkage. Most recently, he completed an Executive Leadership Summit at Harvard Business School. Deming is the recipient of numerous awards throughout his twenty-year nonprofit career. Most notably, the J. Richard Ullom Professional Excellence Award, the Gateway to Impact Award, Employee of the Year Award, and both the Nonprofit of the Year Award and Chairman’s Award presented by the Chamber of Commerce.
Deming has served in numerous executive leadership roles including Vice President of Finance & Administration, Executive Director, and Chief Executive Officer at nonprofit organizations nationwide. His professional network and vast resource access have enabled him to strategically lead organizations to heights of success previously unattainable. He has built a reputation for being a turnaround agent and a dedicated leader consistently focused on outcomes and quality improvement.
In Deming’s role as Chief Executive Officer at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Central Coast, he more than tripled the organization’s operating budget, restructured staffing and operational functions, created a $1 million reserve fund, substantially increased event net profits, and overhauled the organization’s strategic plan to be focused on growth. Deming initiated a $250,000 Teen Center renovation project, closed a merger with a neighboring organization, and secured the organization’s first $500,000 gift from a single donor. Under his leadership over the course of 6 years, the organization grew from 3 sites serving 300 youth to 13 sites serving 2,700 youth.
Deming accepted the role of Chief Executive Officer at Switzer Learning Center in February of 2022. In just two short years, Deming has achieved the following outcomes:
1. Established the first reserve fund in the organization’s history (current balance of $525,000).
2. Created multi-year strategic plan with priority objectives focusing on continuous improvement, program quality, and accreditation.
3. Negotiated highest rates for services ever received from over a dozen partner school districts and charter schools throughout Greater L.A.
4. Established an annual fund campaign to increase unrestricted giving raising over $120,000 in new revenue in year one.
5. Launched professional development planning for staff inclusive of all-staff conferences, offsite leadership development summits (including Microsoft’s inaugural Nonprofit Leaders Summit), and certification programs for IT staff via NTEN.
6. Named Nonprofit of the Year by the Torrance Area Chamber of Commerce.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
In my most recent role, the first couple of years were quite rough. My predecessor had been in her role for over 30 years. When she retired, there was an expectation that things would remain the same (operations, staff structure, responsibilities, etc.). My leadership changed everything about the organization and with that change came considerable resistance and push back. There were long-term staff members that simply couldn’t align with the new strategic direction of the organization, so they left (voluntarily). Creating a culture of unity and growth has taken time, but I feel strongly that we are on the right path and well poised to realize our organizational goals.
As you know, we’re big fans of Switzer Learning Center. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about the brand?
Our organization was founded in 1966 by Dr. Janet Switzer, a pioneer in educational therapy for students with learning disabilities. Originally focused on clinical programming, the organization grew over the decades to include school-based instruction and social skill building programs. Dr. Switzer’s legacy lives on over 58 years later.
Today, Switzer Learning Center operates a nonpublic school combined with therapeutic programming that encourages learning and social engagement for neurodivergent students in grades 5-12. Therapeutic Services Include: Speech and Language Therapy, Art Therapy, and Behavioral Health Counseling Services. We also offer after-school enrichment programming. All of our programming is designed for students with learning disabilities, autism, and other health impairments.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
COVID-19 was eye opening in that it disrupted the “norm” of how nonprofits operate. Remote operations is now considered standard among nonprofit organizations. That operational model simply didn’t exist prior. I also learned that employees can be MORE productive with flexible schedules and remote work allowances (particularly among admin-level staff members). On the flip side, there were many lessons learned post-pandemic that highlighted deficiencies throughout the nonprofit sector. One that comes to mind is the lack of technical skill in the nonprofit workforce. There is considerable investment being made today to improve those skills, but in hindsight…the sector should have been more focused on improving skills related to technology years ago.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://switzercenter.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/switzerlearningcenter/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/switzercenter
