Keystone Human Services Names Successor for President and CEO
Charles J. Hooker III to take over for Dennis Felty, Keystone's President and CEO since 1972
HARRISBURG, Pa., February 8, 2016 /3BL Media/ - Keystone Human Services Board of Directors is pleased to announce that Charles J. Hooker, III, Keystone’s Senior Vice President, was appointed as KHS President-Elect on January 26, 2016. Mr. Hooker will assume the role of Keystone’s President and Chief Executive Officer upon the transition of the current President, Dennis Felty, to KHS Founding President in the fall of 2016. This executive succession is part of the planned retirement of Mr. Felty, who has served as President of Keystone Human Services for the past 44 years.
Keystone is an international nonprofit organization providing supports and services to thousands of individuals with mental health needs, intellectual disabilities, autism, early intervention, early childhood education, and assistance dogs in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, the Republic of Moldova, and India. Keystone’s work is supported by over 3,200 employees and over $155,000,000 in resources annually.
When Mr. Felty transitions to the position of Founding President, he will serve in an advisory capacity to the Keystone Human Services Board of Directors. In this capacity, Mr. Felty will continue to provide guidance and strategic leadership to the Keystone Human Services Board of Directors.
KHS Board Chair, Thomas Flowers said, “We are very pleased to have Mr. Hooker selected as our President-Elect. He has indicated his readiness to lead Keystone, and the Executive Succession Committee, chaired by Dr. Jennifer Chambers, agrees.” The Committee made its unanimous recommendation to the KHS Board at its January 26th meeting, at which time the KHS Board voted to appoint Mr. Hooker as Keystone’s future President.
Dennis Felty is Keystone’s first and founding President, serving in this capacity since Keystone’s inception in 1972. Mr. Felty said, “I am thrilled that the Keystone Board of Directors has worked so diligently to assure a successful transition process in support of my planned retirement. Mr. Hooker and I have worked very closely over the last 20 years, and I am very pleased that Mr. Hooker will be succeeding me as President and CEO. Mr. Hooker possesses the powerful leadership, the essential skills, the values and the passion that this work demands. Mr. Hooker has demonstrated exceptional capabilities, experience and dedication that will assure a very exciting and significant future for Keystone Human Services.”
Charles Hooker joined Keystone in 1996, initially as a Vice President and then as CEO of Keystone Service Systems and CEO of Keystone Human Services International. Most recently he has served as Senior Vice President and supervised all of Keystone’s subsidiary corporations and its central administrative functions. Mr. Hooker has stated, “I am honored to be appointed by the KHS Board as Keystone’s President-Elect and it will be a privilege to serve in this capacity. I will do the best of my ability to live up to the expectations that this esteemed position carries. I promise to work diligently in carrying out the vision, mission, and values of Keystone Human Services.”
Mr. Hooker’s previous experience has included lead positions of hospitals and clinical institutions throughout the eastern and central United States.
Mr. Hooker serves as a Board Member of William Penn Human Services and PAR (Pennsylvania Advocacy and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disability) and is a member of ANCOR (American Network of Community Options and Resources) and RCPA (Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association). Mr. Hooker received his Master’s Degree from Lesley College in Cambridge, MA. He and his wife Kathy reside in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Keystone Human Services (KHS) is headquartered in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania serving over 7,000 individuals annually with 3,200 employees in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Connecticut, and the Republics of Moldova and India. KHS supports individuals and families with intellectual disabilities, autism, mental health needs, early intervention, and early childhood education. Keystone also operates Susquehanna Service Dogs and Capital Area Head Start. Keystone Human Services is one of the area’s largest nonprofit, non-governmental organizations.
